Paris Is Burning
by epemperly
Summary: Sydney and Adrian have found a way to build a life for themselves. They have created their own family and have been sheltering their daughter, Paris, from the vampire world. This is Paris's first introduction to the real Moroi/ Dhampir world. She is getting some direction from Jill and her Dad but being away from her Mom in a new world, a new Grandmother, and new boys!
1. I am Paris

Paris

I wasn't afraid of skiing. I was actually a bit of a pro with a snowboard. I had been doing for as long as I could remember. My parents wanted me to have the safest equipment which usually meant the coolest, newest, most expensive stuff. No it wasn't the skiing or boarding I was worried about, it was were we were going to be doing it.

To most people an all expense paid trip to a ritzy ski resort with amazing skiing, a natural spring spa, and unlimited room service seemed like heaven. I was just hoping to make it through the week. Instead of spending my Christmas break with my friends and relaxing I was in for an Idaho adventure. I have never been to Idaho before but I had never been around many dhampirs before either.

Before I was born my parents broke away from the main stream Moroi- Dhampir culture to create a whole new life together. This sounds very romantic but it is really a very sad story of them both abandoning their whole lives to go on the run. In order to save her from the Alchemists (and some serious brain washing) my Mom, Sydney had to fake her death. She and my Dad, Adrian went on the run through most of Eastern Europe with the help of their closest friends and my surrogate Grandfather, Abe. My father took a less dramatic approach and tried to be honest with his parents. They did not take marrying a human as a good life choice for him. They thought he had lost his mind and basically cut him out of their lives completely.

After three years of running all over the globe my Mother got pregnant with me. She seemed to have every pregnancy related ailment to the extreme. Her morning sickness lasted all day and her cravings were extreme. No matter what she ate she couldn't seem to gain any weight but when she started passing out my father decided the stress of running could kill us both. He made her return to the states. They found the most beautiful house on a small lake in Upstate New York. It's a quiet and safe place to live and it feels like home.

I go to a normal high school and my parents have normal jobs. My Dad is the director of an art gallery in town that caters mostly to the tourists our lake draws in the summer. My Mom had always dreamed of being able to go to college but being terrified of anyone discovering her secret life she worked her way into a job as a librarian at the local library. This really was a perfect job for her. The best part of the returning was that my Aunt Jill could be a part of our lives.

So we were all shocked last spring when my Grandmother, Daniella Ivashikov, contacted my father for the first time. But, I guess after 20 years of no contact she had decided that it was time to have her son back in her life. I have a feeling that the death of her husband could have had a lot to do with it. I know she finally understood that my brother, Bennet, and me were the only grandchildren she was going to get, even if we weren't Moroi.

Despite having really great friends my parents had tremendous guilt that we never had an real extended family. I had heard stories about what it was like to have a real grandmother that knitted blankets and baked cookies but I never felt slighted. Abe definitely had the spoiling us part down. I know that my parents wanted to protect us and keep my brother and me away from her but over the last seven months she had been wearing them down. My Mom was very careful not to say anything outright mean about her but I understood that my Grandmother had an agenda.

A couple of weeks ago my Grandmother called us to say that she was going to be booking a vacation at some swanky Moroi ski resort and she wanted my father to bring Ben and me to meet her. This was not the kind of place my Mother would be welcomed. After discussing this with Abe my father realized that he couldn't put it off forever. Ben was already signed up for a special martial arts camp only available once a year. My parents didn't have the heart to pull him out, so it was just Dad and me. I was secretly relieved that Ben wasn't coming because I had a feeling this little reunion was going to be rough on my Dad. I could tell my Mom was happy to have a not to be left alone.

On the plus side, Jill was able to alter her plans so that she could be there for us. Jill lived mostly at court now but she hadn't been to visit us in forever and just seeing her might make the whole trip worth while. I think that Abe convinced us this was a great idea because his daughter Rose had been vacationing at the resort every year during this week for years. Abe knew if Rose was there my Mom would be able to relax

Dad was excited to see Rose and her husband Dimitri. They still lived at court and traveled constantly as guardians. I knew Mom and Rose talked all the time and I was excited to meet her. Rose and Dimitri had two boys that they had adopted years ago and Dad kept making jokes about meeting them. I always got the impression Dad secretly disliked Dimitri, but Mom thought that was silly.

This was an exciting chance for me to learn so many things about my Dad I never knew. I feel so unprepared to spend an entire week with so many Dhamips and Moroi when I have only known a hand full my entire life. Keeping me sheltered has kept me safe but there has always been a part of me that has felt like I have no idea who I really am. My parents were a bit overprotective but I know they have their reasons. I'm terribly scared but hopefully optimistic for tomorrow.


	2. Arriving

Chapter 2 Arriving

Dad had the huge SUV packed with the all of our bags thirty minutes after we got off the plane. Living with my Mom so long had made him very efficient. Despite the fact that we had been traveling all day Dad was full of energy now that the sun was almost completely down. Luckily for him the day light was much shorter during the winter. I could tell he was trying very hard to get me excited. During the forty five minute drive he didn't stop talking about all the great things to do at the lodge.

As we pulled up at the first gate guard I felt my pulse start racing. All he was doing was checking our paper work and IDs but I felt a rush of fear. As we pulled under the awning for the lobby I started hyperventilating.

"Calm down Paris or you're going to pass out walking inside and make a true Ivashikov entrance. This is not a big deal we can go in, you can wait for the luggage while I check in. Once we get our keys we can find our rooms. " Dad smiled reassuringly at me.

Forcing myself to take a deep calming breath I turned to him and said, "I know I'm just ready... to get this over with." I finished quietly. Even though I know Dad heard me he ignored my comment.

The passenger side door was opened by another man in a guardian uniform with a very serious face. Swinging out of the the SUV I jumped down and quickly entered the enormous foyer of the lodge. I waited patiently for the ridiculous amount of luggage to be removed from our rental and pulled into the lobby. I wanted to look like I belonged standing there but the fact that I kept glancing up to look for Dad was making it very clear how uncomfortable I was. I walked further into the lobby to stand closer to the two story fire place while people continued to shuffle around me.

My mind started to wander and I felt my face frown as I noticed the ridiculous amount of luggage being pulled in. My Mother had packed anything and everything I might need, twice. She had spent hours making extensive lists to make sure nothing was left behind. Sydney was not interested in sending her daughter into battle without all necessary equipment. Suddenly I was ripped from my thoughts by a loud boisterous laugh just behind me.

I slowly turned to see the source of this racket and was shocked to see six huge boys all starring at me. All there faces seemed to be surprised as I turned to look at them. I noticed they all still had ski gear on and must just be passing through the lobby. There seemed to be some unmistakable quality they all shared. It wasn't something I couldn't exactly put my finger on.

As I scanned the group there was one pair of huge brown eyes that seemed to hold my attention. I was mesmerized by how tall he was, really very tall. His hair was shaggy long around the sides but neat around his ears and face. I tried for a warm sweet smile but he made no attempt to return it. He looked at me like he was trying to solve an annoying puzzle but his soulful eyes continued to hold mine.

"Paris," I heard clearly my Father say from across the lobby. I turned quickly to see him wildly gesturing with his arm to join him. I moved toward him so quickly it must of looked like I was running to safety.

"This is Paris I can't believe it! Wow are you pretty! Although you look a lot like Daniella.", a beautiful woman with deep brown hair said enthusiastically to me. "Calm down Rose she isn't used to you yet you"ll scare her more." A man with a slight accent said in her ear.

"Paris these are my dear friends Rose and Demitri" Dad said trying not to laugh.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you. I have heard so many stories about you," I retuned with a huge yawn. "I have really been looking forward to finally meeting you." The long day and change in time zones was starting to take a toll.

"You ok kid. You look exhausted and possibly half starved. " Rose frowned. "We were just on our way to meet our boys for a bit to eat, but they just got in off the trail. If you want you could join us."

"Why don't we drop off our bags and meet you in the Cafe." Dad answered, "We called Jill on our way from the airport. She is waiting to hear from us, I'll see if they want to join us."

I wasn't just hungry I was famished. But all this stress was making me doubt my ability to actually eat. I was also ready to climb in the huge 300 thread count Egyptian sheets and collapse. Hoping to make a better impression, I nodded along with the others as they made plans to meet up.

The bellhop gestured for us to follow him down the long hallway to one of the enormous glass elevators. After riding up to the thirteenth floor and around several turns we arrived at our adjoining rooms. It was very nice of her to get two rooms but really very unnecessary.

"Which room do you want Paris." Dad said with a smile.

"I don't care Dad but what's with the two huge rooms?" I wondered.

"You have to understand my this is how my mother shows her love. She wants you to like her or she wants something from us. Bribery is how she hopes to get it. Plus she isn't used to anything but the best, it's necessary for her in a way it isn't for us".

"Well lets not rub it in too much to Ben and Mom", I replied with a the first genuine smile I had all day.

"Good idea sweetheart", Dad smiled back. Seeing my face he seemed to relax.

I turned and helped direct the bellhop to unload the ridiculous amount of bags. I grabbed a brush and pulled my long blonde hairstraight down my back and added a sparkly head band to make it look neat. Looking in the mirror I noticed my bright green eyes looked cloudy so I washed my face and hands hoping it would wake me up. Just then I heard a knock on the adjoining door.

"Ready Paris? We better get a move on this place is huge and I'm not really sure how to get there." He said holding the door for me. We walked back toward the elevator getting turned around a few times trying to retrace the path we had taken.

"Hey have you talked to Jill or Eddie yet," I asked as we finally boarded the elevator. I was really excited to see Jill she always treated me like the little sister she always wanted. Eddie her guardian/ boy toy was great too. I think he had a soft spot for me and Ben. Wherever Jill was Eddie wasn't far.

"Yeah I called them as soon as I we got in the rooms they were ready to eat I bet they'll probably beat us downstairs," he added pushing the button for the ground floor.

"I'm glad I got a chance to finally meet Rose and Dimitri. I was starting to think you and Mom made them up to make exciting bedtime stories." I laughed. I was starting to think this trip might actually be fun.

As we came around the corner I could see both Jill and Eddie chatting with Rose and Dimitri. Jill looked up and immediately abandoned her conversation to throw her arms around Dad in a huge hug. You could tell their connection was as strong as ever. Next, she pummeled me with an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek. "I missed you both so much. I'm so glad you are finally here," Jill said finally releasing me from her hold so Eddie could have his turn to hug me.

"Hey girl I heard your Dad forgot to feed you," Eddie smirked. Dad made a guilty face and we all turned to walk toward the restaurant. "No you know how much he hates airports. He was in a crazy hurry to get to see everyone," I continued as we walked to the hostess stand. The hostess took one look at Jill, a glance at Dad, and hurried us over to a huge circular table that had a tremendous view of the slopes. This was easily the best table in the small restaurant. "You were always a loyal one Paris," Eddie joked as we all took our seats.

Everyone began to chat about work and life as the waitress came over to take drink orders. I noticed there was only one extra seat at the table.

"Excuse me Ma'am," I spoke to Rose. She gave me a flabbergasted expression in return, "Sweetheart you can call me Rose and him," she gestured to the right with her thumb," Dimitri. How old do you think I am calling me Ma'am?"

I could feel my face flush I'm sure a lovely shade of pink. " I was just wondering you mentioned that your children were joining us." Rose smiled at the mention of her children, "We have two boys Mason and Alex. Alex wanted to continue out on the slopes with his friends so I made him promise to join us another time. Mason should be here any second. He was just getting out of the shower when we left the room."

"Really that's odd my mother always gave me the impression that your children were still small," I said with a shy smile. Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone come around behind me as I finished speaking and I turned to hear.

"Well I have been called many things but small has never been one of them." I heard him say it but all I could see were huge brown soulful eyes.


	3. A Very Painful Lunch

"Hey Mase glad you found us," Rose started, "You remember Jill and Eddie of course,"

she said as Mason shook Eddie's hand briskly.  
"This our old friend Adrian Ivashkov and his daughter Paris." Mason  
leaned over in front of me to shake my father's hand and I got an  
amazing whiff of his minty smelling shampoo.

"Pleasure to meet you both," Mason said looking at my father. Mason  
made no attempt to look at me as he sat in the only empty chair at the  
table, next to me.

I was frozen in my chair as I observed what was going on around me.

It felt like the synapses in my brain weren't firing correctly. This guy was Mason, I felt like maybe I was being punked.

The waitress came over and we all ordered. Luckily for me the

restaurant had a huge menu due to everyone's different sleep  
schedules. I was able to find something to eat I thought I might be  
able to get down. I actually sighed in relief when I saw the cup of  
coffee placed in front of me.

After the waitress left the table Dad asked Rose the million  
dollar question, "How in the world did both of you get this whole week  
off?"

Rose smiled seeming to expect this question, "Lissa makes us both  
take one whole week off every year and the boys get this week off of  
school so it works for us. It is way too hard to leave Lissa during  
the summer with all the traveling she does. If we stay at court it  
isn't really a vacation. Coming here became a great way to spend time  
with the boys and exercise some old demons."

After Rose's heavy admission the table erupted in some lighter  
conversation. "Dad started telling Jill and Eddie a really funny  
story about how Ben tried to jump off the roof last week into a snow  
pile he had made. Rose was trying to get Dimitri to agree to take her  
out dancing later in the evening.

Mason and I, however, were completely quiet. I started to wonder  
what my problem was. I talked to all sorts of guys everyday. It wasn't  
uncommon for me to have to interact with whole groups of different  
boys in my classes. While I wanted to tell myself Mason was not a big  
deal something about him felt different. I had never had this kind of  
extreme reaction to anyone before and it scared me a little. With no  
idea how to start any kind of conversation with him I tried for the  
obvious.

"So Mason how are the trails? I'm excited to get out there and  
see for myself. If they are half as nice as my room it will be  
impressive," I said trying to be casual.

"They're fine. If you do decide to try and ski you really should  
take a class first," he remarked stoically.

"I'm actually pretty good on my board. I've been looking forward  
to trying out some of the more challenging runs," I responded  
cheerfully.

Mason rolled his eyes in his first real display of personality  
and ranted, "Why is it that everyone thinks that they can ski? People  
just buy expensive gear and think that is some how a substitution for  
actual skill. This is why people get hurt! Some of these runs you're  
talking about take real talent and practice to successfully navigate.  
Would it really hurt to try something easier? You are just going to  
end up getting in someone's way."

I was totally speechless. As I looked around the table for help I  
noticed Eddie and Dad looking at me questioningly. This was not the  
place to get in a fight. I just met Mason maybe there was something I  
didn't understand about him. It was possible he had been in or seen  
someone have a terrible accident.

"Have you been injured," I tried.

Mason looked offended, "No I wasn't injured. But I see this  
every year these spoiled entitled kids come here and think they're so  
amazing. They always crash or plow into someone else. They have no  
right to be on the trail in the first place. "

The whole table was staring now. Jill had her mouth open like  
she wanted to say something in my defense but had no idea where to  
start.  
After a minute of uncomfortable silence Rose squeaked out, "Geez Mason."

Standing up I excused myself and headed toward the ladies room. I  
had a million questions running through my mind. Who did this guy  
think he was? Was this guy, who just met me, calling me an entitled  
brat? How could I of had such a visceral reaction to such a total  
jerk?!

I finished up in the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I didn't  
see a spoiled brat. I was not going to let this guy think I was some  
kind of push over so with new resolve I straightened my spine and  
headed back in the direction of the table. Hopefully the food would be  
there and I could eat quickly.

Three quarters of the way back a lovely middle aged woman in a  
well tailored navy blue suit walked toward me and asked questioningly,  
" Excuse me are you Paris"?

I was again thrown totally off balance. "Yes Ma'am my name is  
Paris," I said hoping this was an old friend of my father.

"My name is Christiana Zeklos and I am a close friend of your  
Grandmother's," she said with a slight knowing smile. "She asked me  
to find you, make sure your room was acceptable and introduce myself.  
Daniella was so sad that her obligations have kept her from arriving  
till Monday but I assured her that I would personally check on you and  
make sure you made some proper friends."

"That was very thoughtful of you Ma'am, it's very nice to meet  
you," I said cautiously.

"Well obviously I was going to ring your room but when I saw you  
here I had to introduce myself. I knew right away it was you, you look  
so much like Daniella! You really are a lucky girl," Christiana  
continued. "I would really like to introduce you to my son, Mathew,  
he will help you get into the right parties and social events. Mathew will  
be so pleased when I tell him how pretty you are."

I didn't think anything could surprise me at this point but the  
ease in which the backhanded compliments rolled off her tongue was  
truly impressive. I gave her my best fake smile and lied, "That is  
just so nice of you. I'm sure my Grandmother will be so appreciative  
for everything."

I could see the wheels turning in her head as she thought about  
what sort of social climbing I was going to help her achieve, "Well  
that's just who I am. I really love to help when I can. Of course if  
you were to mention it to Daniella it wouldn't hurt."

I excused myself to go back to the table after promising to be  
in touch with her soon. I was thinking handling Christiana was a kind  
of trial run for my Grandmother. When I returned our food was being  
served and the atmosphere was light again.

Jill leaned over around Dad and looked at me inquisitively,  
"What did Christiana want"?

"My best guess is that she doesn't want anything from me but she  
wants something pretty bad from my Grandmother," I replied honestly.  
Jill tried to question me further but I promised to give her the whole  
story later. I couldn't help it there was food in front of me.

I was just about done eating my meal and really starting to feel  
better when Rose spoke up, "Paris what are you a junior this year?"

"Yes technically I am but I'm taking mostly senior classes. I  
tested out of all the languages so that gave me time in my schedule  
each year to take more advanced math classes."

Something seemed to snap in Mason and he looked me in the eyes  
for the first time. I actually shivered a little bit with excitement  
until he spoke, "A junior in what".

"High school," I said as the words sort of just hung there.

"You go to a normal high school," he said as if not believing the  
words coming out of his mouth. "But where do you take your defensive  
classes? Who trains you? I mean it can't be easy to learn and do hands  
on training when you are taking other unnecessary classes."

Dad looked like he wanted to strangle Mason. Mason's tone was  
really out of line but Dad just looked at Dimitri hoping to get some  
help that never came.

"I don't need to learn any of things you are implying. While I do  
respect the work the guardians do it isn't for me," I added  
diplomatically.

Eddie was trying to bite his tongue but couldn't help adding,  
"Paris you know I respect your choices but I would feel so much better  
if you would let me show you a few things to help you protect  
yourself. It really couldn't hurt could it?"

"Eddie we have had this discussion a million times, I know your  
heart is in the right place but I am not a fighter. I just don't have  
it in me," I punctuated the last three words to try to get them to  
understand.

"Wait you aren't going to be a guardian. You don't have any idea  
how to protect yourself or you father," Mason interrupted. "You  
realize this is what we do, Dhampirs are guardians. Your options are  
going to be very limited," he replied with a disgusted look on his  
face.

I was done with this conversation. I was done with this guy.  
Looking him right in the face I said in a quiet menacing tone, "You  
don't know me! You just met me thirty minutes ago and the first  
conversation we had you called me a spoiled brat. There are many  
things you know nothing about and me and my many many options is one  
of them." I stood up and looked around the table stopping to look Rose  
in the eyes and continued, "Please excuse me I am totally finished  
with this meal. Dad, I'll see you in the rooms. Jill, I'll call you  
later.

I walked out as quickly as my legs would carry me. We had only  
just gotten here a few hours ago and I just wanted to roll in a ball  
and cry. I couldn't or wouldn't let myself be defeated already.

My only defense was that I really expected more out of these people  
my parents treasured as friends. When I left the table Dimitri looked  
satisfied with his son and the ridiculous display.

Rose looked like she wanted to climb under the table which was  
totally out of her no holds bared personality I had heard so much  
about. One of the reasons my Mother had agreed to this trip was she  
trusted Rose to help me.

As I stumbled into my room I couldn't help but wonder what did I  
get myself into.?

** ******Thank you so much to everyone that has taken a chance on my**  
**story. You have no idea how much it means to me and I love all the**  
**comments and help with my silly mistakes. I promise that Mason has his**  
**reasons for being a jerk and it will all be revealed soon. I love the original characters as **

**much as you and I want to do them proud. Now that Mason has been sort of introduced**

**I am going to do a Mason POV for**  
**different parts in a different story so look for it under my pen name.**  
** I hope to have one up in a few days.**  
**Happy Reading Everyone !**


	4. Early Morning Visitor

When I finally made it back to my room I still angry at how out of control lunch had gotten. At least Eddie I could understand wanting to make sure I was safe. I still couldn't understand why Mason spoke to me like I was some silly girl looking for attention. His passive aggressive insults were so unwarranted. I really should have hated the idea of fighting with Mason but for some strange reason the idea of it thrilled me. It was so childish like I was waiting for him to pull my hair or something. I never understood why girls seemed to have this magnetic pull toward guys that treated them like crap but I promised myself that was not going to be me.

Punching the code into my door I was surprised to see all of bags had been unpacked. The room was neat and tidy with all my suit cases now off my bed. Walking into the bathroom I could see all of my toiletries arranged neatly and my robe hanging on the hook. My lotion and small bag of make up was placed on the small dressing table with the magnetic mirror. A quick check in my closet showed all of my shoes arranged and my hanging clothes hung. I wasn't sure where my dresses had ended up. Whoever the mystery unpacker was had stolen the activity I was hoping to distract myself with. The next best thing would be a hot refreshing shower.

After my wonderful steamy shower I felt better. I was starting to put it all into perspective. After searching through all my drawers I put on the first sweats I could find and dried my hair. I sat on my huge bed enjoying the quiet and checking my email when I started to feel my eyes closing. My phone started ringing and I saw Jill's name flash on my phone. "Hi Jill," I answered.

"Hey where are you hiding I called your room a few times and no one answered", Jill added in a concerned tone.

"I came up to my room hoping to unpack my bags but someone had already done it for me. So instead a jumped in the shower. Sorry to worry you," I said regretfully.

"I probably should have warned you about that. I am so used to the invasion of privacy it doesn't bother me anymore. Your Grandmother must have set it up when she made the reservation. I hope you'll be able to find everything. "

"Yeah I hope so too, can you imagine me having to ring down to the concierge because I can't find clean panties," I joked as I heard a knock on the door. A little worried at who it could be I opened the door to see Jill standing there with gloriously large milkshakes.

"I come barring gifts, she said with a smile, "I got you your favorite, mint chocolate chip. I wanted to cheer you up after all the drama."

"Are you and Eddie on this floor," I asked knowing bringing Eddie's name into it could be dangerous.

"Yes when I booked the room I had to throw my name around to have any hope of getting a room close by. You should feel special I never do that, " Jill said seriously "I have no idea how Daniella got all three of your rooms on such short notice, she must know where the bodies are buried."

"Wow," I said taking my first sip of the really delicious shake, "maybe I should storm out of restaurants more often. I like being cheered up."

"That whole meal was very strange. Mason didn't seem to be himself at all. I've always known him to be quiet but polite," Jill said puzzled. "I've never heard a mean word out of his mouth. He seemed almost angry at you."

"How could he be angry with me, he just met me! I was trying to be really friendly. What's been bugging me most is his stupid comment about me being spoiled," I said exasperated as I took a huge pull of my milk shake.

"I'll tell you one person that was angry, Rose looked like she was going to explode after you left the table. She told Mason to enjoy his food because it was his last meal. She apologized to your Dad at least ten times. Which since you don't know Rose very well is very unlike her. I think that she genuinely didn't understand what was going on with Mason either."

"Well that was nice of her," I said with a huge yawn.

Jill patted the pillow in to motioned for me to lay my head on the pillow and on the huge bed there was plenty of room for her to lay next to me. She reached over and turned Ingrid Michelson softly on the i home next to the bed. "You have to understand that most of the dhampirs here don't have large allowances. Even if they did there is very limited opportunity for them to go shopping. Most of it is has to be done online. You aren't a brat Paris, but compared to most kids here you have a lot of freedom that they could envy. You have very nice expensive clothes, like most of the Moroi that are here. I would be careful not to rub it in," she said kindly. She smoothed my hair back away from my face.

"You know Jill you are going to make a fantastic Mom one of these days," I said softly with my eyes closed.

"Thanks sweetie. I'm working on it. Eddie has mostly come around on the subject."

"I call God Mother," I said almost completely asleep.

I was still laying in my super comfortable bed wrapped in fluffy blankets when a soft knocking brought me out of my sleep. It was coming from the adjoining door between the rooms.

"Come in", I said in a soft half asleep voice my eyes still closed. It had to be Dad or Jill coming to check on me. I rolled over and stretched. Luckily Jill hadn't turned any of the lights out. Sitting up I noticed I was wrong.

"Mason?" I said startled. I practically leaped out of bed looking around on the floor for my slippers. He was standing just inside the door when I saw him. He looked to be dressed for nice dinner with light blue dress shirt and a matching tie that made his eyes look like an even deeper shade of brown.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you. Your Dad thought you would be awake by now," he apologized.

"I guess my sleep schedule is a little bit off here. I didn't mean to sleep so long. Is Jill still here?, " I said hoping that I wasn't faced with him on my own. I really had no idea what he was here for.

"I came by earlier and she was letting one of the maids in with a bunch of dresses but she said you were sleeping. I came back about fifteen minutes ago to talk to your Dad but I haven't seen Jill. Mason looked down at his watch, "It's a little after 4:30 now."

"In the morning!," I said surprised, "I wasn't sure there was one of those."

Mason laughed, "That is one of the great things about this place you can be on almost any sleep schedule you want."

"Can you hold on a second?" I excused myself needing a minute in the bathroom. There was no way I was having this conversation with Mason when I could smell my own breath. It was bad enough I was wearing baggy sweats and my hair needed a serious brushing. After washing my hands and face I was much more awake.

When I returned Mason was standing in the same place. He was looking at my sweats with a confused expression on his face.

"What's with all the little pink dogs," Mason asked curiously pointing to my sweats and slippers, "I noticed them on your luggage too."

It took me a second to realize what he was talking about. "O it's a Victoria secret thing. Kind of like their mascot I guess."

"You mean Victoria's secret is that she likes to put little pink dogs on everything. Would you think less of me if I admitted that was a disappointment?" Mason remarked with a shy smile.

"I guess it's one of them. She has others," I answered with my own genuinely amused smile. I gestured to my sweats, "I'm sure you've seen other girls at your school wearing them. They are popular as workout clothes too."

"I never really noticed other girls. I mean the pink dogs on their clothes," Mason quickly correct himself.

I chuckled giving him another huge smile. We were actually having a normal conversion. He seemed to have sweet sense of humor but I knew that wasn't why he was in my room, "So what's up Mason? You didn't come here to talk about my pajamas."

"No I didn't," he paused and his face got serious, "Listen, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about lunch. Honestly I have no idea what got into me. You didn't deserve to be talk to like that," he stopped for a second and said, "This is hard for me."

"What, talking to me is hard for you," I said a little too defensive.

"No I not usually faced with being so blatantly wrong. I'll admit I have no idea how you ski, but the fact that you didn't pitch a fit about me coming in here shows you aren't a brat. I also have no idea why you don't want to be a guardian but that was no reason to yell at you. It was crossing the line to imply what I did. I swear I am usually a pretty easy going person,' Mason had the decency to look embarrassed at his behavior.

"Honestly, it seemed like it was more than that. Almost like you were angry at me about something?"

"My Dad told me that our Mom's are really close. That they have been close friends for like fifteen years. They started telling me stories about our Mom's traveling together and working together to help Jill. If I'm being really truthful I think that I was angry that my parents kept so much from me. It felt like they didn't trust me. It hurt my ego a bit. I hope maybe we can just forget about it all and start over, " he said with soft sad eyes.

I probably couldn't deny him anything when he looked at me like that, but I was doing my best not to give it away. "I'm sorry your parents have been secretive about us, but I'm sure they just wanted to protect us, not because they don't trust you. There are a few things it is better you don't know, for both of our sakes. Honestly, though I can see where your coming from, I hate when my parents keep things from me. My Mother has told me so many great stories about your Mom and Dad. Our parents have a lot history. Maybe there are a few gaps that I could help fill in for you, " I added regretfully, "I do think that we can start over. You obviously got my Father's forgiveness if he let you come in here."

"So you're going to let me make it up to you?" He said hopefully. "I was thinking maybe you would go out on the trails with me tomorrow. "

I couldn't let him waste his last real vacation pretending to be my friend. "Listen Mason that is really nice of you to offer, but I really don't want to high jack your vacation. You should spend it with your friends. Just because we got off on the wrong foot doesn't mean you owe me anything. I'm happy to do go out by myself, I'll even take a class if it makes you feel better."

He groaned hearing his own words, " Wow that really was a terrible remark to make wasn't it. I swear it was all my idea. If you don't come with me I'm going to end up with my brother and his friends; you would really be doing me a favor. Something tells me though that you're going to prove me wrong. I hope I can keep up."

"Yes that would be my plan. Let me think about it," I paused at Dad poked his head in the door.

"Hey good to see you guys patched things up," Dad said as he walked through the still opened door, "I'm glad you got some rest but we need to head downstairs soon."

"Head downstairs to what"? I said apprehensively.

"Jill booked a private room this morning for dinner. I realize our meals are all messed up but they should have an assortment of things to chose from. It is going to be more of a mixer so that you can get a chance to meet a few more people. I can't believe she didn't mention this to you. I guess this way you couldn't find a way to get out of it." he replied not really looking to surprised.

"I assume that's why you are all dressed up," I said to Mason but he just nodded looking at me cautiously like I was some kind of animal that might spook.

"Mason could you do me a favor and wait for Paris. She really doesn't know her way around yet and this place is huge. I wouldn't want her to get lost and not make it to the dinner," he noted trying but failing to be funny. "I really should head down I promised Jill."

"You want Mason to wait here while I get dressed in what I suspect is some kind of semi formal dinner wear and escort me to dinner," I said not really believing my own words. Mason just kind of shrugged like was thrown into uncomfortable situations everyday.

"Yeah why not, that would be a great way for him to make things up to me," he winked at Mason but I rolled my eyes, "Don't worry Mason, Paris has a gift for getting out the door quickly. That's a gift she got from her Momma."

It was at this point I decided to suspend all notions of surprise for the rest of the trip. It was time to go with the flow. Dad's comment did put me back in a good mood. I always liked to be compared to my Mother."Ok Dad we'll be down as soon as we can. I'll be quick,' I said convincingly.

"You better there's a great surprise waiting for you and he doesn't like to be kept waiting," he said laughing loudly and walking back into his room.

"I can go sit in your Dad's room while you get ready," Mason offered.

The wheels in my head started to turn. "You know Mason I may be fast but one thing you should know about me is that I'm not very decisive. I could actually use your help. Pick a color," I surprised him.

"What why?" he said slowly.

"This is not rocket science Mason don't over think it. What's your favorite color?"

Mason looked understandably uncomfortable," I don't know grey."

"Grey ok interesting choice,' I commented as I walked in the large walk-in. I picked up a grey dress that had a slight scoop neck top with a beautiful black flower appliqué. It was three quarter sleeves and had a thin tie around the waste. The skirt was short but would probably make my legs look fantastic. It looked simple but classy. I was starting to be really grateful for my Mother's wonderful packing abilities. After grabbing two pairs of shoes I walked out and held them up, "Flats or heels."

Mason looked scandalized. "Come on you want to get out of here. I heard your Mom didn't promise you anymore meals this trip so you better take advantage when you can."

My snarky comment seemed to wake him up, "I don't know you are pretty tall girl already but I like the heels," he said under his breath.

I ran in the bathroom threw on the dress and heels. I pulled my hair into a neat high pony tail. After just a bit of mascara, black eyeliner, and a bunch of blush I rushed back out into the room. "One more quick thing. Pick one," I held out both of my fists. Opening the hand he chose I reveled a silver chain with a large tear drop shaped amethyst, "Will you help me out?"

Mason looked apprehensive but didn't say no. I placed the necklace in his hands and turned around moving my ponytail to the side. Even wearing high heels he still felt a lot taller than me. It was hard not to feel his heavy presence behind me. His hands were startlingly gentle as they circled my neck. I could feel how rough the skin was on his fingers but they left a tingling sensation on my skin. It took him a few seconds to get the clasp to catch but he made no attempt to back up. I could feel his warm breath on the side of my neck and I desperately wanted to lean into him. I heard him take a deep breath exhaling slowly. Turning my head slightly I caught the intense look in his eyes and the smile slipped from my face. I knew I was pleading with my eyes for him to come closer but he seemed content to stare. There was something startling passing between us, something thrilling. Mason closed his eyes and I could feel he was about to kiss me.

An unusually loud ring came from my phone. It was still sitting on the i home and the ring startled us both. I was frozen in place and the ringing continued. Mason looked at the ground and very quickly took a long stride backward. I was suddenly very shaky and jittery. He knew I wanted to be kissed. He had to see it in my eyes and the invitation in my face. I never actually wanted to be kissed before. It had always been in reaction to someone else's invitation, not really desire. I felt a little ashamed.

Reaching over the other side of the bed I snatched the phone off the pedestal to quiet the noise. I could see Jill's name flashing on the screen. "Hey Jill thanks for telling me about the party," I tried to joke. I wanted to lighten the tension that was pumping throughout the room. "We're on our way down now," I told her and hung up a bit abruptly.

Walking quickly into my closet I tried hide for just a second to regain my composure. I grabbed a cute sparkly clutch and threw my room key inside. Bursting out of the closet and toward the door I called, "Come on Mason we're late for the party."

**I had a difficult time finding a good place to stop so this Chapter probably feels a little long. I promise the next chapter some new characters. **

**This is the dresses I saw her wearing was one I saw on OMG Kate Middleton wore to the Dulwich Picture Gallery. **


	5. Obligation Friends

We walked down the hall in relative silence. The weirdness was starting to dissipate since we didn't have to look at each other. I was happy to ignore everything that had happened between us if he was, after all nothing really happened.

When we stepped into the elevator a girl dressed in ski clothes leaning on the glass wall looked up, "Hi Mason what are you all dressed up for," she said eyeing my dress.

"Hi Nicole, just a family thing."

"A family thing huh,"she said looking back and forth between us, aren't you going to introduce us," she remarked curiously.

Mason looked at me apologetically. "Nicole Badica this is Paris. Her parents are friends with mine so yes it's a family thing," he said losing patience.

"Do you go to school together?" I wondered looking at Nicole.

"We do but we haven't actually had a class together in years," she announced proudly. Her face flashed dark when something occurred to her "You aren't going to Princess Jill's mixer tonight are you?"

"Pleasure to meet you Nicole," I answered avoiding her question as the doors opened to our floor.

Mason led the way into a part of the lodge that I hadn't been in yet. It really was a good thing he was here because I had no idea where we were going. "Friend of yours?" I added casually.

"Not really, more a friend of a friend," Mason brushed off, "Nicole does a good job of being in everyone's business. That's probably why she knew about the mixer to begin with."

When we arrived at the entrance of the dinning room I looked up at Mason meeting his eyes for the first time since we left my room. "Thanks Mason really I would have been totally lost without you. I don't seem to have the best sense of direction." I didn't wait for a response I just opened the heavy door and said a little prayer this meal would be better than the first.

I was shocked at how many people were gathered in the room. Even with the small room almost full of people I could hear the loud voice of one of my favorite people, Abe. In a sea of boring clothes you couldn't mistake the old man's purple and orange suit. I always enjoyed seeing what kind of combinations he would come up with and despite his strange ensemble, Abe was the most welcome sight I had since we arrived.

"Paris," he said so loudly it startled me. Abe threw open his arms. "I thought you might make me wait till the sun was up."

I leaned into his hug laying my head in the crook of his arm and sighed in relief. Seeing him stole all the built up stress I was fighting hard to hide. "I can't believe you are really here," I almost sobbed.

"Did you really think I would let you face that awful woman for the first time without me?" he winked at me. "Plus someone has to keep an eye on you with all these boys lurking around. Right Mason?"

Releasing me he gave Mason his own quick hug. "I see you finally met our sweet Paris. I have been hoping for years to get you two in the same room. Have you met Alex yet?" Abe motioned to another tall boy who looked to be a few years younger than me.

"No but I've heard great things about him. Pleasure to meet you Alex," I said nodding my head in his direction.

Alex had brown eyes like his brother but they were a couple of shades lighter. He had a sort of the boy next door looks and a friendly smile. "Hi Paris," Alex remarked star struck, "I'm so excited to meet you."

Abe smiled, "You look so grown up Paris. Your dress is very elegant."

"Thanks," I responded with a devious smile, "Mason helped me pick out my whole ensemble. He has a real eye for woman's fashion don't you think?"

Alex and Abe let out an unexpected laugh. "Your kidding right," Alex joked.

"Nope he even helped me decide on my shoes," I pointed at my heals and tried to keep a straight face.

"Well, he is my Grandson it really should be surprising to anyone that he has great taste in clothes," Abe smirked.

Mason looked unimpressed by our commentary. I knew he wanted to deny my accusation but instead excused himself to get a drink.

"I'm so glad to see you smile Paris. I knew seeing Abe was just what you needed," Dad said joining our group. He handed me a glass of orange juice in a champagne glass with a wink. "I think that Jill's guest list may have been compromised. The whole lodge is trying to squeeze in here." Dad put his arm around me and said quietly,"I found your Mom last night and told her we were all settled. She wanted me to tell you to make sure you had some fun."

This news from my Mom combined with Abe's arrival put me in a great mood. I was really enjoying chatting with Alex and Abe but the smell of food was starting to distract me. The room was set up in small food stations where you could help yourself and a few servers where trying unsuccessfully to move through the crowed room with food on trays. I excused myself from the animated group to attempt to get some food. I made my way to one of the stations and carefully arranged a plate of small bites for myself. On my back to the group I was stopped by another new face.

"Excuse me, Paris right? "My name is Mathew Zeklos, I think you met my mother yesterday," he said with an amused grin.

I was really concerned at this point. If this guy was anything like his mother I was in trouble. "Yes, I did. Everywhere I go here I seem to be meeting new people," I said cautiously. Mathew was a very attractive guy. He looked neat and stylish in a grey designer suit. His pale blue eyes and sandy blonde hair were a very handsome package.

"Well, Mom mentioned to me that you don't know too many people here and I might be able to help you meet some people and have a little fun," he smiled.

"That's very considerate of you Mathew but I have a few obligation friends already and I would hate to intrude on your vacation," I tried to come off joking but I was serious.

Mathew got an amused smile on his face and asked,"What's and obligation friend?"

"O' you know when your parents make you play nice with people just because they know or want to impress your relatives."

"I think maybe a better term in my case would be a bribed friend," he said honestly.

"Really what did you get." I was intrigued to know how far Christiana would go in this charade, "Anything good?"

"Not too much right now. My parents did get me my own room this year which means we can have better parties. Ultimately I am hoping I can persuade her to let me learn how to drive. As a rule in our house it's always a good idea to stay on my Mom's good side. You never know what things it will bring in the future. Would it make you feel better to know that there was a relatively good chance I would have come over to talk to you anyway just because of how pretty you look tonight?"

"I don't know. What do you think the odds where?" I said enjoying Mathews sense of humor.

He flashed me his best grin and proudly stated,"I would have said at least 60 - 40 but now up close I'm thinking more like 80 - 60."

The way Mathew was smiling at me I could tell that I entertaining him. He was enjoying the challenge. "Well, those are decent odds I think I can consider it. What did you have in mind?" I was impressed with his honestly and I was really enjoying our banter.

"I'm having a few people over in my room after this shindig. Mostly just some people I know from school and whoever they bring along. We are just going to hang out, play music and possibly play cards. Nothing too fancy. I think it's going to be fun thought. Just think it's a chance to meet some people that don't have any kind of agendas for your friendship."

Mathew didn't make me uncomfortable like Mason. I could handle him. There wasn't a feeling of being out of control and everything didn't feel so serious. It all felt very comfortable. I agreed to consider his offer and we exchanged cell numbers. I had to excuse myself to get more to eat. These small bites of cheese and meat we just not cutting it. What I really needed us a huge cup of coffee.

I spent the next few hours with my Dad and Abe. They both introduced me to a bunch or people who's names I would probably not remember. Everyone that approached us seemed to be trying to squeeze information out of us. I suppose that our sudden appearance in their society was making for good gossip. Dad and I were very vague on the details of our lives but Jill came to our rescue repeatedly.

The mixer turned out to be much more fun that I had originally anticipated. I had a great time getting to know and mostly joking around with Alex. He turned out to be much more outgoing then his brother. Even Rose was in a relaxed mood and seemed genuinely excited to see her father. Dimitri had a totally new attitude about our arrival and even helped to buffer me from several nosey older woman as I tried unsuccessfully to get more to drink. There were no more Mason sightings and I figured he had probably left for the night.

Around seven am Jill made an announcement to thank everyone for coming and attempted to wrap up the event. I was ready to go. With all the extra people in the room the temperature was stifling. I was also still exhausted from all of my broken sleep. Dad mentioned that he needed a feeding before he finally got some sleep. Going back to a nocturnal schedule seemed to be much easier concept for him. Alex kindly offered to escort me back to my room, mostly so that I didn't get hopelessly lost, but I somehow got separated from him. After thoroughly searching the party room I walked out and down the hall to what looked to be an empty sitting room.

Turning around to exit the empty room I felt a tug on my left hand. Looking up I could see a very tense looking Mason. Putting my right hand over my mouth I was able to stifle the scream building up in my throat.

"Geez Mason you almost gave me a heart attack! I didn't hear you behind me. Next time give me a little warning."

Mason shrugged but didn't apologize. "What are you doing in here? Looking for someone?"

"Yeah I was looking for your brother he promised walk me back to my room." Looking down I noticed he still had a grip on my hand.

"Why were talking to Mathew Zeklos? Was he bothering you?" Mason said quietly almost menacingly. He didn't let go of my hand though, it seemed like he thought I might take off running at any moment.

"No nothing like that. Mathew's mother wants him to be my vacation friend to score points with my grandmother. Sound familiar," I shot back.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on Mason we both know why you asked me to go skiing tomorrow. Can you honestly tell me your mom didn't put you up to it?"

"Why do you think so little of yourself that I couldn't want to just spend time with you." He started out quietly but was slowly getting louder. "Maybe I wanted to hear about our parents. Someone needs to keep all the slimy guys that have been watching you all night away from you."

"Mason don't be ridiculous. No one remotely slimy has even talked to me tonight."

Still holding on to my wrist he turned his hand so that our fingers where now woven. Mason held them up so that they were in front of us. My eyes were now fixed on our fingers and I was avoiding his eyes.

"Don't be naive Paris," Mason sighed, "every guy in there, including your Dad and Abe, has had one eye on you all night."

His comment surprised me. I tried not to show how much he was rattling me but my voice was shaking a little. "Did that include you Mason?" I asked and kept a straight face. I was trying to bluff but the idea of being rejected scared me.

Mason didn't respond he just slowly nodded his head.

"What time am I meeting you tomorrow?"

The change in direction didn't rattle him. "Meeting you for," his words kind of hung there.

"Skiing, family stories, and keeping slimy guys away from me." I smiled feeling proud of myself for not skipping a beat. The foggy feeling that I had around him was starting to clear.

Mason gave me his first real genuine smile. I could tell because there were small dimples on his face I had never seen before. They were adorable and it was a very unexpected look for him.

I didn't notice when the door opened but Mason did. He dropped my hand so abruptly it knocked the smile off my face.

"Hey there you are Paris I was looking all over for you. What's up Mason where have you been all night?" Alex asked innocently.

"I have been in the same room as you. Where do you think Alex?"

"What are you two doing in here? You giving her more fashion advice?" Alex laughed loudly at his own joke. I couldn't help it I let out a stangled giggle.

Mason shot us another annoyed look.

"Don't get mad at him Mason it was my fault. I was just teasing you. Just think we're even now," I pleated with Mason. I touched his arm and looked up at him.

Mason let out a chuckle and the tension seeped out of the room. "3:30 by the coffee shop."

"3:30," I repeated.

"Hmm, okay you ready to get out of here Paris? I was going to head out," Alex spoke cautiously.

Alex and I walked back toward our rooms uneventfully. He didn't ask me what was at 3:30 so I didn't have to explain myself to him. I sincerely liked Alex. He was an amusing guy who seemed to look up to his brother.

When I walked back into my room it was almost seven thirty. The idea of going back to sleep was tempting. I really wanted to talk to my mom and I knew she would be up by eight.

I felt a buzzing in my hand and looked down. Mathew texted me "What are you doing? Coming to the Party?"

**As always thanks for reading and for your comments. More soon I promise!**


	6. Mathew's Party

Chapter 6

I stared at the screen on my phone for at least a minute trying to decide if I should respond to Mathew. The idea of my bed was very tempting after my early morning wake up call and the exhausting mixer. There was another loud voice in my head telling me I didn't come all the way here to lie in bed. So I decided to text Mathew back.

Paris: Hi Mathew you surprised me I forgot all about your party.

Mathew: You forgot about me already. I must not have made much of an impression. :(

I was starting to realize one of the best parts of Mathew was his great sense of humor.

Paris: I not sure how much fun I'm going to be. The mixer totally wore me out. I need something low key.

Mathew: I understand that was over whelming but it will be fun I promise. I'll come and get you if I have to.

Paris: I'm going to give my mom a call and then I will try to stop by what's your room number?

Mathew: 3465 I think that we are on the same floor so don't tell me that you can't find me.

Paris: Yes looks like you are just down the hall from me. Don't leave your party! After I change and call my mom I'll be over.

Mathew: Promise?

Mathew: Don't change you look great!

Paris: Bye Mathew see you in a few.

If I was honest with myself I could use some fun. Mathew seemed like a genuine guy and he could definitely make me laugh.

I was feeling torn by this other more negative part of myself. I had met so many new people already today I wasn't looking forward to more questions. I also promised Mason that I would meet him ready to hit the slopes at 3:30 so I couldn't stay too long. If I was going to be spending time with Mason I needed to be wide awake. The best person to help me and give me advice has always been my mom. I wish so much she could be here. I thought I could handle all of this on my own. My dad was great but it just wasn't the same ,so it was time to give her a call. I felt so relieved when my mom picked up on the second ring.

"Hi mom it is so good to hear your voice!" I squeaked out.

"Hey baby you okay? You sound sad. I thought that you would be in a great mood now that Abe arrived. "

"I was. I mean I am. It's been harder than I thought getting used to this place. All I've had is a couple of hours of broken sleep trying to get on the same sleep schedule as everyone else. After Jill's party tonight I'm so sick of meeting people and my grandmother doesn't even arrive until tomorrow," I sighed.

"That's all, you are just tired and sick of shaking hands with nosey old women?" Mom paused, "Come on Paris spit it out, I can't help you if you aren't honest with yourself."

"I'm feeling a little bit lost. I don't have any friends here and I don't know what I am supposed to be doing."

"Paris everywhere you go you make friends. You can make a friend standing in line at the grocery store. Your just like your father," Mom laughed.

"It's not that I can't make a friend I am just having a hard time knowing who I can trust here. The people that are worth the time to get to know," I sighed.

"Paris you have to go with your gut on that. Not everyone you meet is going to have the best intentions but, you know some people that you can definitely trust. Jill and Eddie are there and you met Rose and Dimitri right? "

"They were the first people I met. I had a lot of fun tonight getting to know Rose. She and Abe are really humorous together. I can see where she gets her spunky personality from."

"Did you get a chance to talk to Mason or Alex," my mom kept her voice even but I knew that there was something that she wasn't saying.

"Mason asked me to go skiing later this afternoon," I added. "I got invited to a party this morning but I probably shouldn't go. If I'm going to meet Mason I should probably take a nap."

"Come on Paris is that why you called?" Mom sounded surprised, "Did you feel like you needed permission to go, because I think a party might be just what you need."

I exhaled loudly, "No not really. I think I just needed to hear that it wasn't a terrible idea."

"You have always been a brave girl Paris, use some of those guts and go have some fun. I'm your mom so I will put the parent disclaimer on and say don't do anything that you'll regret or that you can't take back. I trust you and this is your vacation too. My hope for you is that you make a few friendships that last longer than just this week."

I thanked my mom and told her I would be in touch. She was the best person to talk to because she had this amazing ability to always make me feel like I could handle anything. My mom could bring out qualities in someone that they didn't even know that they had.

I sent my father a text to tell him where I was going to be and told him to get some rest. After changing my shoes into some sparkly flats I was out the door to find Mathew's room. It was literally just down the hall and around the corner. I told myself this was a good thing. Either it would be convenient for us to hang out or it wouldn't be too hard to escape if I wanted to leave.

I found his room easily and knocked softly. I didn't hear any noise in he hallway but when the door opened I was assaulted by the loud noise of a room full of people and music.

Mathew opened the door and gave me a breath taking smile, "I'll admit I was thinking I might have to come and get you."

I didn't enter, I just glanced at the room full of people. Mathew looked apologetic, "Sorry after I texted you the word got out about the party. I promise this will be fun. " He looked endearing and hopefully, I didn't have the heart to leave so I followed him into the room.

"How is it that it's so loud in here but you can't hear anything in the halls?" I asked confused.

"These rooms are mostly sound proof. Some of us have extraordinary hearing. It can lead to some uncomfortable moments," Mathew said tentatively with a little cringe.

That made me laugh. My odd question had managed to break the ice a little. His room was set up a lot like mine with a main bedroom and two separate sitting rooms. One was more casual and set up for eating.

"Do you want a drink?" He asked politely leading me over by the fridge to what appeared to be a fully stocked bar with a large assortment of soda.

I poured myself some sprite in a red solo cup and made the observation that solo cups transcended all social economic groups.

Turning to Mathew I wondered "So does everyone call you Mathew or do you have a nick name just for your friends."

"No, my mother loathes when people call me Matt. She feels its too ordinary for me." He rolled his eyes, "When I was much younger some people called me Matty but not in a long time." He lead me into the second sitting room that was farther into the room.

"I like Matty it's adorable," I smiled sweetly knowing exactly what he would think about that.

"Not sure my image can handle adorable but if you want to call me Matty I give you sole permission," he commented with a smirk sitting down in the sole empty chair at a large round table. Everyone sitting around the table appeared to be playing some sort of card game, but not one I recognized.

"Peter get up, give the lady a seat," Mathew said louder than necessary and taping the guy on the shoulder. Peter looked to be a couple of years younger than the rest of the group and a little annoyed at the interruption in his game.

Peter looked up at me and abruptly bit off whatever snarky comment he was going to make. "Sure thing Mathew." He looked up at me stopping blatantly on my chest, "Hi I'm Peter Jackson what's your name."

"Out of your league that's what her name is Peter," another guy called across the table and everyone laughed. Embarrassed I flushed and looked over at Mathew.

"Thanks for chair Peter," I told him sitting down comfortably. I was glad we left the main room that was packed with people.

"This is Paris," Mathew motioned to me and then to each person sitting at the table, "Paris this is Aaron, Andrew, Cullen, Paisley, and you met Peter. Don't worry no quiz later." I was happy to see another girl in the group and the warm smile Paisley gave me made me hopeful.

"So what are you playing," I asked her looking down at the unfamiliar cards.

"It's called phase ten," Paisley explained showing me her cards and a little card that showed the directions. "It's a very easy game but these guys are pretty competitive."

"Come watch me finish this game and when were done we can deal you in," Mathew said showing me his cards. It looked like a fun game and Paisley was right, the guys were very competitive. They were not shy about bragging and taunting each other. Mathew had a great way of making me feel welcome and joking around without obviously flirting.

In between games the Andrew got up, kissed Paisley, and got both of us more drinks. I was relieved that Paisley was only drinking soda too. She was a really cute girl with strawberry blonde hair and sky blue eyes. She was so skinny I was sure a strong wind could take her down. Each of the guys took turns getting up and refreshed their drinks of choice. Paisley and I chatted casually about the resort. She told me excitedly about how she just hooked up with Andrew.

"Are you dating anyone back home or has anyone here caught your eye," Paisley asked me conspiratorially.

I tried to be convincing,"No one at home. I'm not really here to hook up, it is more of a family trip."

She gave me a knowing smile, "That doesn't mean you can't have some fun while you're here. I think that if you are interested in Mathew you should keep playing hard to get. It is definitely working on him, he is so used to girls throwing themselves at him. You should have seen how worked up he got when you texted that you forgot about the party. Andrew had to talk him out of going down to your room."

I was shocked by her observations. I really wasn't trying to play hard to get but I could see how it might have come off that way. "I don't think it is like with us. Not yet anyway, I just met him a couple of hours ago. He is just easy to be around. It is a refreshing change."

"I can see that. It's a nice change to see him relaxed. He tends to attract girls that bring drama. But the question is, a refreshing change from what?" Paisley dragged out the question. She had me totally pegged, "Who's got you all worked up?"

"I'm not sure I'm ready to admit it yet, even to myself," I rubbed my eyes attempting to erase the vision of Mason's eyes and our fingers woven together out of my head, "we are both trying to pretend there is no chemistry and I'm failing miserably. It's just that quick vacation fling is not my style."

"When you are ready to admit it I want to a full report," Paisley winked at me knowingly.

Each of the boys had returned and even Peter had come back to watch the game from over Cullen's shoulder. Mathew had taken an extra minute to walk around and greet people. As he slid back in his chair he gave me a wicked smile, "Think you're ready to play Paris?

"Bring it on Matty," I answered as the table chuckled appreciatively.

Phase ten is a simple game in principle. There are ten different hands that you need to lay down and get rid of each of the additional cards. Some of the hands resemble rummy and others are simple matching or color combinations. This game is like all other card games in that it is almost completely based on luck. For the first five hands of the game beginners luck was completely on my side. I managed to skip ahead several hands and didn't get any points (points are bad). Each time I laid down my cards I was met by loud boos and whining from the boys. Paisley managed to keep up mostly, but even she was a hand behind. Mathew thought it was hilarious and was totally egging on the other guys. Aaron and Cullen were not good losers but it was entertaining to see them get so defeated over a card game.

As Paisley began to deal the sixth hand another girl entered the room whining to her friend about our card game. She turned making eye contact with me and sat right in Mathew's lap. "Aren't you done with this silly game Mathew? I was hoping to spend sometime with you at this party," the girl remarked trying to be obvious about with kind of attention she wanted.

"Nicole we talked about this. I told you that I wasn't up for entertaining you tonight but you chose to come over anyway. I'm sure you can find something to do until I'm finished," Mathew pointed at the other room full of people, "Don't come in here and distract me. Paris is already kicking my butt." Mathew flashed his smile again. I was starting to think he was used to his smile getting him out of anything.

Nicole glared at me and attempted to smile through the sneer on her face. "Right Paris you're the girl I met hanging around with Mason. Who brought you along? You must be a good hook up to get a seat at the table, even if it is a boring game."

Mathew bucked her off of his lap. "Enough Nicole, you know that I invited Paris. You should probably move on to something else tonight. I'm in the mood to play another game after this. " Mathew looked pissed.

Nicole flew off of Mathew's lap and half landed on poor Aaron. After straightening herself she looked at Paisley and added, " I hope it's not Andrew she's hooking up with."

I gave her a little half wave with my right hand and held my new cards in my left. Looking down at my cards I said, "Goodnight Nicole. Such a pleasure to see you again."

Paisley looked scandalized and glared at Nicole until she was completely out of sight. After that I couldn't really concentrate on what I was doing. My game plan and strategy were a thing of the past and the other seasoned players quickly caught up. I'm ashamed to say that I was relieved when Paisley finished the last hand to win the game.

Mathew leaned over his chair and looked me square in the eyes, "I'm sorry about Nicole. She is a real spoiled brat. I never noticed how nasty she could be until recently."

I just shrugged in response. There was nothing to say he didn't do anything wrong.

Looking at the clock I noticed it was approaching eleven and I still needed a nap.

"Thanks guys for letting me crash your card game it was fun. I'm supposed to go out on the trails in a few hours so I'm going to lay down for a bit." I smiled genuinely at the group.

Paisley and I exchanged numbers and made plans to meet for coffee the next day. When I got up to leave the table Mathew followed me out of his room and began to walk down the hall with me.

"You didn't have to leave your party. My room is only 100 feet away," I said worried what he wanted.

"I know I just wanted to know whether I was right."

I gave him the answer he wanted," I had a great time. Thank you for inviting me. I hope me being there didn't mess anything up for you with Nicole."

Mathew's face flashed surprised and let out a strangled laugh as we stopped at my door, "I'm glad you let me spend the morning with you too Paris. Thanks for taking a chance on me. You are a much needed breath of fresh air."

"Tell me Mathew does that smile get you everything that you want. "

Mathew looked shocked. "Most of the time Paris." He reached down and gave me a huge hug. He felt unexpectedly strong and warm.

"Who are you skiing with? Do you think that I could tag along," he said half into my hair.

Releasing me I gave him a tentative grin. "It's just me and Mason Belikov. I'm supposed to meet him at 3:30 and I'm afraid it will still be mostly sunny out. Do you know Mason?"

The smile washed from Mathew's face, "Yes I know Mason. We go to school together. Promise you'll call me. I'll find us something else fun for us to do," he paused while I considered his invitation, "Say yes or I'll flash you another smile."

"Okay I'll call you," I spit out immediately. "Good bye Mathew."

I turned and shut the door leaving him standing in the hall. One thing was for sure, it was time for a nap.

**Thanks so much for reading and for all your awesome comments. Every time I get a comment it motivates me to give you more.**

**I think I feel in love with Mathew a little today!**

**If you don't read Richelle Mead's blog I read some interesting information about the first Vampire Academy movie today. You can find the link on her good reads page. **


	7. A Day With Mason

There was a noise coming from distant place but I had no idea why. I tried to ignore it but it would just start again and again. I sounded so far away and if I tried really hard I could pretend that I didn't hear it. When I attempted to move toward it I couldn't get my head or my arms to cooperate with my brain. It felt like I was moving through mud or in slow motion. All the sudden the buzzing turned into pounding. Not in my head but far away again. Somewhere in my foggy brain I registered some muffled arguing but I just didn't have the strength to be concerned.

The door to suite was thrown open and I very clearly heard a man's voice yell, "Paris!"

Normally this would have elicited some kind of reaction out of me but I couldn't make myself sit up. I rolled over on the bed to discover I was laying on top of my very comfy bed still dressed in my grey dress. My hair was fanned around my head in a perfect circle on my pillow. I had kicked off my shoes and luckily my dress wasn't ridding up in any embarrassing places.

"Mason we have got to stop meeting this way," I tried to crack a smile. Blinking rapidly I was trying to bring Mason into focus. Behind him I noticed a very annoyed maid with her arms crossed.

"I apologize Miss the gentleman was insistent," the older woman with a tidy bun turned and exited.

"Jesus Paris what the hell," Mason took a step back and crossed his arms. I could see his rapid breathing was causing his arms to rise and fall. "I'm sorry. I was so worried. Are you all right?"

I gave him my best sleepy smile and finally my body cooperated and allowed me to sit up. I tried to stand but feeling dizzy I wobbled slightly and dropped back down on the bed. My reaction stirred Mason out of his snit and he crossed the room so quickly I almost missed it. Suddenly his hands placed gently on my forehead and cheek. Mason's hands were huge and wonderfully cool on my forehead. I found myself leaning into his touch. Taking a deep breath I let it out slowly and closed my eyes for a moment to savor the feeling.

Mason didn't say anything but when I opened my eyes I could see the concern creasing his brows. He was really worried about me.

"Mason you are being incredibly sweet but what possessed you to have housekeeping break into my room," I said truly confused.

"Paris it's almost 4:30. You haven't been answering your room phone and I don't have your cell number," he dropped his hands from my face and started ringing them in his lap.

"O no Mason 4:30," I picked up my cell and the alarm icon was still flashing. I had never over slept in my life.

As if something occurred to him he leaned forward to inspect my eyes, "Are you hung over?"

I recoiled like he slapped me. "Why do you always expect the worst from me Mason?"

"No, Paris it's not you. I always think the worst in everyone," Mason sighed, "I guess if I don't expect much out of people I'm not disappointed," Mason looked regretful. "Most of the other kids I go to school with would have found it perfectly acceptable to get trashed last night. I didn't realize my comment would offend you."

For a such a composed guy I was surprised how much of self Mason had just shown me. "All of this broken sleep has literally exhausted me. I have never felt so drained. I could hear the phone ringing but I just couldn't make myself answer it. My brain stopped communicated with my body."

"I was so confused." Mason stared at the ground like he was burning a whole in the rug. "I saw your Dad in the coffee shop and told him we were planning to hit the trails. He told me you were still upstairs so when you didn't come down I tried to call you. By the time I got to your door I couldn't hear anything inside and I freaked out. When the maid came walking by I convinced her you were sick and I needed to get inside. I think she thought I was crazy, but I wasn't letting her leave until I knew you where okay."

I felt like comforting him. "I swear I don't usually cause this much drama. I don't think that I've ever over slept before." I rubbed my eyes trying to make them fully focus. I didn't want to tell Mason I thought that he was over reacting. Some part of me was thrilled that he cared.

"Paris I'm not trying to make you feel bad. In my life I need control. When I'm in control of a situation I'm calm and composed. I'll admit when I'm around you I lose all rational thought. I can't seem get in control of anything, mostly myself."

I wanted desperately for him to look at me. I wanted to hold his hand or lean over and kiss him but the internal struggle on his face kept me planted in place. Mason was opening up to me in a way that awed me. I didn't know what to give him because I didn't know what he needed. "Thank you Mason. Thank you for worrying about me. " I didn't want to lessen the moment with a joke but I desperately needed some coffee. "Mason you want to get some food?"

"You sure. You still seem sleepy," Mason said brushing the hair away from my face.

"I'll be great after a big coffee and maybe a bagel," I said sweetly. Mason might be out of control around me but I was surprisingly serene around him. I felt taken care of.

We agreed to met back downstairs for breakfast. I pulled almost everything out of my drawers trying to locate some clean clothes. I finally found a new pair of skinny jeans and a comfy pale blue hoodie. I was in the mood to be comfy so I pulled on a pair of fuzzy brown Uggs and headed downstairs.

Walking into the coffee shop I could see Mason at a small table in the corner by a small tinted window. He didn't seem to see me right away so I stopped to appreciate how handsome he was. As if he could feel my eyes on him, he looked up and met my eyes. I really needed to dial back the dreamy look on my face. As I approached the table I saw that Mason had already ordered food.

"Can I sit?" I asked him.

Mason nodded at me with indulgent smile. Mason was eating some sort of large breakfast sandwich and orange juice. In front of me there was a bagel and a huge paper coffee cup with a white plastic lid.

"I didn't know what you liked on your bagel so I got cream cheese and butter. The coffee is how you requested. Big."

"The best kind. This cup is impressively large. I don't think that even Wawa has coffee cups this large." I was excited to finally have some caffeine in me.

"What's a Wawa? Mason said drawing out the syllables.

"O' sorry it's an awesome gas station we have back home. They have a whole isle of different coffees and creamers. It's good coffee too. They also have really great hoagies." Mason gave me another confused face so I continued," You know big sandwiches. I think they started somewhere in Philly but you can find them all over the East coast now. You end up out that way you should check it out."

"Yes, good coffee is essential for most people. I am more of an OJ person," he said raising his plastic cup.

"You don't drink coffee." I tried unsuccessfully to wipe the horrified look off my face.

Mason laughed loud enough to startle me. "Not really but I am a big sandwich fan." It felt like an accomplishment to make him laugh.

"So after all I put you through earlier I owe you a story about our parents. Tell me what you want you want to hear," I said cautiously.

"I have no idea. Start at the beginning I guess."

This was going to be tricky. I was never one to dance around an issue but it was pretty obvious that I was going to have to leave out some glaringly important details. I needed to find a happy medium between deceiving him and giving some of the information that he seemed to want. I didn't know what to say.

After a minute Mason added, "Our Mom's met in Russia right."

"Yeah I can't remember exactly what city they met in but I know they traveled quite a bit together. My Mom was working there and Abe contacted her to help your Mom. "

"Your mother is American?"

"Yes, but she isn't a typical American. You could say she is well traveled." That was an understatement.

"How did she help my mom? Does she speak Russian?"

This made me laugh but Mason looked confused. "I'm sorry my mother is a bit of a linguist. I'm not sure how many languages she speaks but it's a lot." He looked at me expectantly. "I think that she helped your mother travel to Dimitri's village. "At this point I was picking at my finger nails trying hard to avoid eye contact. When I looked up Mason looked

"That's my village too, that's were Alex and I were born."

I had no words.

"When my mother died." Mason paused taking his time. "When my birth mother died Abe helped us. He kept us safe until Rose and Dimitri came for us. I remember it so clearly though it's like a movie in my head." I didn't say anything but nodded along to his words. "It's really a beautiful village, after living there it was hard to get comfortable living at court."

We had both finished our meal at this point but continued nursing our drinks.

"How old were you?" I asked not knowing if I wanted an answer to my question.

"I was five and Alex was two. I don't think that he remembers very much but I like telling him stories. I don't want him to forget."

I didn't want to ask him how his mother died, this wasn't the place for that. One thing did sort of bother me, "Mason isn't really a Russian name is it?"

He smiled at me, "No my first name isn't Mason." He paused as if he was considering if I was worthy to share this information. With a new resolve he looked in my eyes, "My birth mother named me after my grandfather. His name was Nikolai. She told me he was a wonderful man that always took care of his family and that I should always be like him. When I came to the States I didn't want to remember that story. I just wanted to forget who I was and start again so I asked my new mother to give me a new name."

I couldn't hold it anymore I was going to cry. This was the most incredible story and he was sharing it with me. I said the first thing I thought, "You don't look like a Mason. Nikolai suits you." A single tear made it's way down my left check.

"Hey don't do that," Mason said softly. He reached his long arm across the table and was barley able to wipe away the tear before it fell.

I sat there for a few minutes just absorbing what Mason had told me. The light in the small window was starting to dim even farther.

"Paris," Mason startled me, "you ready?" He stood up and began to collect the trash on the table.

I followed Mason out toward the exit.

"Do you have other plans? We can try to find time another time."

Mason cut me off, "I'm all yours. I don't have any other plans today." His smile cut through my guilt. When I was about to protest he cut me off again making me agree to change and met him where we originally planned.

We made plans to meet back after grabbing our gear. I was hoping we would have fun and no drama. It was important to me that Mason didn't see me as a flighty drama queen. I wanted him to respect me.

This was a wonderful resort. The trails were clean and well maintained. Mason showed me where to get out equipment and walked to the lift.

"Who do you think was the first person to strap skis on there feel and say I think I'm going to slide down this hill," Mason wondered.

"I think it was the Norwegians or the Swedish. They used skis to get travel around on the snow not for entertainment. "

Mason looked impressed, "Really I didn't know that. What about snow boards where did they originate?"

I smirked at him. "That was the Americans. I think part of it started with the tradition of sliding down a hill on a cafeteria tray."

Mason's eyes twinkled with laughter, "I can't say that I have ever done that before."

"Well, you don't know what you're missing," I teased. "If you are ever brave enough to try it I hope it will make you think of me."

Despite having a bit of an explosive start our day had morphed into a comfortable companionship. Mason showed me the best runs and helped me navigate the ski lift (which could sometimes be tricky with a snowboard). It was refreshing to not have to dumb down my skill for someone else. He was a beautiful skier, incredibly graceful for his size. Not surprising with his level of athleticism.

After the sun went down the lights came on the snow and it began to get more crowded. We decided to call it a day and returned our equipment. As we walked back inside I realized what a wonderful day it had turned out to be.

Stopping just inside the door to pull of my goggles and unzip my coat. "I need to go upstairs and check my phone. I haven't checked in with my dad at all today." Mason agreed and followed me. Even though I was moving slowly Mason stayed instep with me. I got a better work out then I had expected. This had been so much fun and I came to a realization,"I wish this day wouldn't end so quickly

Mason seemed taken aback by my comment. "Why is that?"

I looked up at him with sad eyes. "My grandmother arrives soon. Everything's going to change."

We walked toward the elevators but kept our voices low. "It's going to be okay Paris, Abe won't let her pull any crap. He is poised and ready to strike."

I could tell Mason was trying to be reassuring but I wasn't won over so easily. We entered an empty elevator and I looked up into his brown eyes, "I've never met her before. I'm scared Mason." After all of his earlier admissions this seemed natural. "My father won't admit it but he's worried too. What if she doesn't like me?" Sighing loudly I continued, "I have no idea what I'm even supposed to call her. I have always just said my grandmother, but what if she expects something more formal." I was chewing my lip but and Mason reached over to pull my lip out of my teeth and held my chin to look at him.

"Your going to be great Paris. How could anyone not like you?" Mason shrugged.

My bark of laughter ricocheted around the elevator. "Really Mason I didn't think I always made the best first impression."

"You've had some practice now." Mason teased.

Rolling my eyes I excited the elevator and set off toward my room. Mason fell instep with me, "You should talk to your dad about it. Tell him you're worried and have him find out what your grandmother wants to be called. Your Dad brought you here let him handle it. "

We stopped at my door. Mason was right and that was a good plan. Leaning on the door I looked up at him. I was forever looking up to meet his eyes. "Why did you share so much with me earlier? That's not the kind of story that's easy to tell." I finished confidently.

Mason started slowly, "No it's not." He looked regretful, "I'm not sure I ever have. You seemed like you needed someone to trust here. When I look at you it's not that you're scared exactly but you aren't comfortable here either. I thought sharing something about me would make you less afraid. "

I unlocked the door and opened it motioning for him to enter. I followed him and turned to shut the door. With my back to him I continued," Mason I'm not afraid of you." I turned quickly, " You make me feel safe."

There was a heart beat that we just stood looking at each other and then I felt my back hit the door. Mason moved toward me so fast that all I could do was reach up to circle his neck. Mason's lips where on mine hard and demanding. This was not a sweet first kiss, it was a claiming. Maybe I should have been frightened but I wasn't. Mason wasn't holding anything back and I loved it. He was showing me a real part of himself and it was hot.

I could feel his hands on my hips slowly making their way down my backside and pull me closer to him. Just when I wanted to protest I felt his tongue in my mouth and completely lost all sense. I gripped him tighter to me and ran my fingers through his soft wavy hair. Mason didn't push me too far which I was grateful for but he didn't let up either. It felt so good to let go of this tension that had been building between us.

When Mason pulled away he pushed his forehead against mine and let out a loud breath. "The way you make me feel Paris." He shook his head at me.

He gave me one more quick sweet kiss and paused, "You better check your phone."

I watched transfixed by his fingers as the ran down my arm to my hand and tugged me farther into the suite. I nodded words completely being lost on me. I noticed I had a few messages from my father and pushed the button to call him back. He answered on the first ring.

"Hey dad where are you?" I said trying to keep my voice even.

"I spent most of the day in the spa. I feel sufficiently pruney now. Did you have a good time outside? I hope you at least managed to prove Mason wrong."

I could hear the smile in his voice and I relaxed. "I definitely shut him up." Mason grinned at me from across the room.

"I'm not sure I'm up to a formal dinner tonight. Why don't you two order some room service and relax? It's all on your grandmothers tab and she couldn't care less what we order. I did get a message from her earlier saying she was in route."

This news wiped the smile off of my face and suddenly I wasn't up for dinner either. Seeing the change in me Mason moved closer and looked at me expectantly.

"That's a great idea. Relaxing sounds heavenly right now. If you need me I'll be in my room."

"Okay sweetheart. See you soon."

When I hung up I looked up to see Mason still staring at me, "What's wrong?"

I forced a smile, "Nothing. My dad just told me he got a message from my grandmother that she was on her way here."

Mason's face softened. "It's going to be fine Paris, she is just one woman. You want to stay up here I can go?"

No way I was letting him go anywhere. "No, we were told to order anything we wanted from room service and relax."

His eye brows went up but he didn't argue. I pulled the menu out of the drawer of the huge desk in the office area of the suite. Picking up the phone I ordered one of everything on the menu that looked appetizing. I was sick of the tiny portions here and was determined to make a pig out of myself.

Oddly Mason didn't protest he just sat on the corner of my bed quietly. I could see him retreating into his head.

"Don't do that Mason. You don't need to feel guilty," I said pulling back his attention.

"Your Dad trusts me and I shouldn't have taken advantage of that. He's an interesting guy but he can read me like a book."

I laughed sitting down beside him. "You think my dad doesn't know that I kiss boys. Do you think that he is under some kind of delusion that I'm a saint?"

Mason let out the breath he was holding and his shoulders softened. "You kiss boys huh," he teased leaning forward to place a soft chase kiss on my lips.

"I have been know to, yes," I returned running my fingers along the sides of his face. It was surprisingly rough and stubbly. "How old are you Mason?"

The change in direction didn't throw him. He leaned into my touch and responded, "Seventeen. I'll be eighteen March seventeenth."

"Saint Patrick's Day, you were born lucky," I responded enthusiastically.

"Well, I'm not at all Irish but I do feel lucky right now," he finished pulling me close to him and all verbal communication was no longer possible.

Kissing Mason was like a free fall. You could do it forever and it was amazingly freeing but, it ended with a jolt. When I heard the knock at the door this time and pulled away to open the door. The amount of food that was brought in was impressive. It was a good thing my room had a whole room dedicated to eating.

Mason looked at me surprised, "We are going to eat all this food just the two of us? This must have cost a fortune."

I shrugged, "It's my grandmother's fortune. You can invite Alex or some other people if you aren't up to the challenge."

"Alex, your right I should at least call and see what he's up to. I could go get changed and check in. After we stuff ourselves we could rent a movie."

We had spent the whole day together so I was relieved that Mason wanted to come back. "That's a good idea, I'm not sure what kind of things I going to be expected to attend once my grandmother arrives. "

After picking at a few of the fries I walked him over to the door. Mason's arms went up my back and into my hair. He tried to pull me in again for one of his all consuming kisses but I stopped him short. "If we start that again all that food will go to waste."

Mason beamed, "We wouldn't want that would we." He pulled back slightly then gave me quick peck. "See you soon."

After Mason left it felt oddly quiet in my room. I changed my clothes and I tried to walk around my room to occupy myself. I was itching with the need tell someone about what had happened with Mason. I decided it might be fun to call Paisley, I told her that I would. I didn't have to tell her everything but talking would help my restlessness. She picked up on the second ring and seemed to be happy to hear from me. After telling her I had ordered a bunch of food she enthusiastically agreed to come keep me company.

When I heard the knock I was a bit surprised, "Hey that was fast," I told her. We walked toward the food and began snacking a platter of chips and dip. Paisley looked beautiful in an emerald green sweater and set off her red hair perfectly. Her friendly smile made me feel comfortable.

"I was already up and dressed. My room is just one floor above yours." Paisley began to eye me suspiciously. "Why does it smell like a boy in here?"

"What does that mean? How does a boy smell?"

"You reek of minty shampoo and spicy cologne. " she stopped and looked around. "Who is he?"

"I don't know if you know him," I tried half heartily to avoid her question.

"Try me."

"He's name is Mason Belikov. We went skiing earlier. Our parents are friends," I said trying for some reason to defend my attraction.

"Wow good choice. That boy is gorgeous in a quiet brooding way. He doesn't smile much but, but the boy sure is built. Mason doesn't hook up much that I know about."

"Mason smiles all the time," I frowned. Mason smiled all the time around me. "You probably see him going doing guardian stuff. He seems to take all of that very seriously."

"Mason can guard me anytime just don't tell Andrew," we were both laughing when I heard another knock on the door. My room was hopping.

Alex walked in my room with a huge grin and enveloped me in a hug. When he pulled back he gave me the strangest look and turned to look at his brother.

"Nice to see you too Alex. Hungry?" I told him.

As we walked back toward Paisley the smell of the food hit me. I turned on some Maroon 5 and immediately got a plate and helped myself to a large assortment of yummy things. I turned to sit down and saw Alex had taken a seat but, Mason standing uncomfortably on the edge of the room.

"Mason do you know Paisley?"

"Of course he does. Get some food and come sit down Mason," Paisley ordered with a smirk.

Her order got him moving and he joined us at the table. Mason seemed annoyed at something and I starting to see why Paisley thought he never smiled.

"How do you know Paisley?" Alex asked innocently between mouthfuls of gourmet mac and cheese.

"We played cards last night," Paisley smiled wickedly, "but we bonded by telling Nicole to piss off. Nicole may be royal but she is royal pain in the butt!"

"That girl is annoying," I repeated "I think the best way to handle her is to just stay away."

"After you left, she came sniffing around Mathew again," Paisley looked disgusted. "The worst part was he left with her. God knows why. He pushes her away but she always manages to worm her way back."

This irritated me for some reason. Possibly because I thought that Mathew had better taste.

Mason stood up at the table and pushed his food away. He looked pointedly at me, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" I followed him back past the bed room when he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the bathroom and shut the door.

"Mason what are you doing?"

"What in the world could ever posses you to hang out with Mathew Zeklos?" he whispered with wild eyes. "Paisley Abernathy is also an interesting choice."

"Really because she only had nice things to say about you!" I countered.

"What why would you be talking about me?"

I tilted my head as if it was obvious.

"What did Paisley say? Did she tell you to stay away from me?"

"Are you crazy no, I can't tell you what she said because it would make you blush." I countered. "Do you see how insane it is to be discussing this in my bathroom?" I was starting to get angry.

Mason's resolve broke. "It's a very nice bathroom," he said trying to deflate my anger. I couldn't help return his smile.

I wanted to roll my eyes at his mood swings. I tried to respond when he leaned over and gently kissed my neck. I couldn't believe how easily we had fallen into this routine. "Do us both a favor and stay away from Nicole okay?" Brooding Mason had sweet side.

I agreed and quickly exited the bathroom.

"You two all set," Paisley teased. "Andrew just called I invited him over. I told him we were going to watch a movie. I hope you don't mind?"

I didn't mind. I figured with a few more people this new relationship Mason and I were foraging might be less awkward. I went back to eating and asked Paisley to let them in.

"Bonjour Paris," Mathew smirked walking in the room.

I avoided hugging him after the strange look I got from Alex but grinned up at him as he sat at the table. "Is that the extent of your French Matty?"

"I seem to recall the words to a Lady Marmalade song."

"Well, Matty at least you are well rounded," I shot back.

The room lit up in laughter, with the exception of Mason. He seemed more annoyed than anything with our banter. Mason placed himself strategically between us.

Mathew and Andrew somehow managed to finish off the pile of food that was left and we moved into the bedroom to choose a movie.

About an hour later the adjoining door to my dad's room opened. He smiled broadly at the sight of all of us essentially camped out on and around my huge bed. Paisley and Andrew were cuddled on the floor with a mountain of pillows. Alex had taken up residence on a large arm chair. Mathew had spread himself along the end of the bed. The movie they had chosen consisted of car chases and large explosions but I was more focused on the shoulder I was comfortably leaning on.

Mason stiffened at the sight of my father but didn't move me. "I'm going to lay down Paris. You guys should order some popcorn or ice cream," he said indulgently shutting the door behind him. He looked relieved.

**Thank you so much for reading. I hope that you enjoyed this new chapter! A few people have mentioned to me that they have been checking for updates. If you select follow the story at the end of the page you will get email updates. If you are enjoying Paris' story check out Mason's POV in my other stories. Mason's chapter three has the answers to a lot of questions people have been sending me so please check it out!**

**Happy Reading and Thanks Again!**


	8. The Grandmother

The turned over to move away from the bright light peeking through the blackout curtains on the windows of my suite. Waking up abruptly I realized that the this was the first time I was waking up alone here. I tried to stifle the feeling of sadness that followed this realization. Yesterday had been a wonderful day with Mason but, I needed to get up and face today.

Last night right as the movie was finishing Rose called Mason. Both he and Alex left immediately to go meet her. Paisley and Andrew left shortly after the movie. Probably to continue the activities they had started on my floor. Matty stayed and chatted with me for a few minutes, but left shorty after receiving a call that I suspected was from Nicole.

Before leaving Mathew asked me if I wanted to go to church with him in the morning which surprised me partially because my concept of time had been so corrupted that I had no idea it was Sunday, and partially because Matty didn't strike me as the overly religious type.

Keeping my thoughts to myself I thanked him and agree to meet up with him. No matter how spoiled he appeared on the outside Mathew was really very thoughtful.

After taking a lengthy shower and scrubbing off the smell of sweat and the lingering smell of Mason off of my skin I pulled out my best church attire. Mathew warned me that this was not a come as you are kind of service. I settled on a navy blue wrap dress with a modest v neck line. I added a cranberry three quarter sleeved blazer with matching heals. I was going for a trendy look but, wearing heals was starting to be necessary with all ridiculously tall guys everywhere. Taking care to be neat with my makeup I let my hair air dry and scrunched it with some gel.

As I finished I heard a familiar knock on the door from the adjoining rooms.

"O good your up already. "Dad said not really surprised by my promptness.

"I wanted some extra time to get ready for church."

Dad nodded like he expected as much from me. "I'm glad you remembered. So much for coming in to remind you," He said taking a seat next to me on the end of the bed. "Did you have a fun time yesterday with Mason?" He said restraining a smirk.

"Yes, I had a really good time. The trails here are challenging enough and Mason did a good job keeping up," I tried to say without being too enthusiastic. There was no point in lying to my father, he would know, but I didn't need to be obvious either.

"Mason is a good kid. Hanging around him will give you some good perspective."

I attempted to blink away his preachy comment. "Mason said that he thinks that you can read him like a book."

Dad laughed loudly, "Did some talking did you?" He paused with a grin. "Reading him is easy. He is just like his father. Hopefully, if Mason realizes how transparent he is it will keep him from getting too handsie with you. " He emphasized wagging his eyebrows.

Leaning over to playfully smack his leg I attempted to give him my best disbelieving look and shook my head. "Lets just keep that thought to ourselves," I blushed.

"What does Mason think about Mr. Zelkos hanging around," Dad said apprehensively.

His comment annoyed me. "Mason doesn't say anything about it, I didn't ask him. He doesn't get to deiced who is worthy of my friendship," I finished a little loudly.

Dad nodded as if I had passed his test. "Good. I was happy to see you had already made a few friends. You've always been that way," he mentioned proudly and took a deep breath. "After church today your grandmother has invited us to tea."

"Tea?" I said arching an eyebrow.

"That's what she said. I am trying to be agreeable. It's a new thing in our relationship, I'm hoping to throw her off her usual game. Abe managed to get himself invited but, despite Jill's best efforts your grandmother ignored her."

I gave him a reassuring smile. "It was sweet of her to try. I'm sure everything will be fine," I tried to comfort him. "I have one question though, how does she want me to address her." I paused at Dad questioning look, "I wouldn't be comfortable calling her Grammie or Nana and I'm sure she would be horrified. Do you think that she is looking for something more formal?"

Dad looked crestfallen, "I hadn't thought of that Paris, I'm sorry. This is new territory for us all and there is bound to be a few miss steps. I promise to ask her though." He reached over and took my hand. "I have to sit with her but, you go to church with your friends. I'll text you when I have a place and time. I'm proud of you Paris. "

I looked down at the ground blinking away some stray tears, "I miss mom, I wish she was here."

"Me too but, we are going to get through this together. Mom told me earlier that Ben is very anxious and worried about you. He isn't sleeping well. You should give him a call later. "

I agreed and promised to meet up with him later in the day. Dad left with a hug and a small smile.

Glancing toward the clock in the sitting room I realized it was only 3:45. I wasn't even supposed to meet Mathew until 4:30. Getting impatient I decided I would try to text him.

Paris: Hey Matty I know it's earlier than we talked about, but do you want to grab some food before church?

Mathew: Sure, I'm definitely hungry. I haven't eaten since your impromptu feast earlier.

Paris: Great I'm starving.

Mathew: Just text me when you're ready and I'll meet you.

Paris: I'm ready when you are!

Mathew: REALLY. Okay I'll be right there.

I grabbed a hair tie to put on my wrist for later when my hair started annoying me and some lip gloss. I threw them in my cranberry Kate Spade wristlet for later and moved toward the door. Walking out into the hall I could see Mathew coming around the corner toward me in a striking navy blue suit. It had a slight grey stripe that made it look modern and accented the blue of his eyes perfectly.

"Having trouble sleeping?" he asked looking concerned.

"No, I slept all right. Why do you look so surprised to see me?"

He shook his head as if he was trying to forget something, "It's just that every other girl I know takes forever to get ready. It's amazing that in half the time of most women you manage to look twice as beguiling."

I smiled, "I think that maybe you sit at home on rainy nights and practice these compliments."

Mathew flashed me one of his beauty pageant smiles, "No just one of my God given talents. What about you?"

Shrugging is stated,"I'm efficient."

"I can see that," he laughed. "What are you in the mood to eat?"

"Honestly, I would love a coffee and a doughnut."

Mathew looked pleased with my suggestion and led the way toward the food. When we arrived I realized this was the same place that I had eaten the day before with Mason. The thought made me quickly check my phone hoping for some kind of communication from him.

Seeing the perplexed look on my face Mathew turned to me, "Hey grab a table. I'll get the food."

I walked in the dining area and quickly picked a large table in the middle of the room instead of the intimate table in the corner that Mason and I had shared the day before. I sent Mason a text telling him I'd save a seat for him in church and hoped for a rely.

When Mathew walked over I was glad that I had chosen a large table. He toted a huge box of doughnuts and a couple of coffees.

Placing them on the table he looked at me, "Everything okay? I didn't know what you liked so I got a little of everything."

"Yes," I sighed. "Just trying to avoid repeating a bad situation."

Putting my phone down I looked at the amazing selection before me. The sight of the different doughnuts made my stomach grumble so without skipping a beat I grabbed a sour cream and a sprinkle. After I had finished them off I looked up for my coffee and caught an amused expression from Mathew.

"Why is it that I am always entertaining you?" I said tartly.

"I'm not sure." Mathew laughed. "Do you always eat like that?".

"Eat like what?"

He looked pointedly at the Boston creme doughnut that I had worked my way halfway through. "It's just that most girls don't like to eat around me. They want me to believe that they can survive on oxygen alone. Even Paisley would probably just eat half of one. It's kind of fun to watch you eat with abandon. "

"It never really occurs that I should change myself to impress someone." I suddenly felt self conscious for the first time around Mathew.

"I think that's an amazing part of your character Paris. It makes me feel like you are a truly trust worthy person. I mean even your smile catches me off guard sometimes."

"That doesn't make any sense Matty."

He looked thoughtful for a moment like he was trying to figure out the best way to explain, "When Moroi are young, we are taught to smile very carefully without showing our teeth. This helps us to blend in when we are in public and not attract attention. I don't think that dhampirs are taught the same thing, but they seem to mimic us for the most part. When you smile Paris it is so bright and beautiful it lights up the whole room."

I could feel myself blushing slightly and I hated that he could tell. "I think that is the best compliment you have ever given me." I paused, "My father keeps most of the that kind of information to himself. I don't think that he wanted to ever make me or my brother feel different. I know that being in the sun too long makes him tired and that he has to wear heavy sunglasses. Honestly, I didn't even know that he had a feeder until I was in high school."

Mathew looked at me pointedly, "I'll keep that in mind." He seemed impressed that I trusted him enough to share that with him.

I looked down at my phone repeatedly through our conversation. Finally Mathew commented, "Are you hoping to hear from Paisley or Mason because Andrew and Paisley are on their way down? They better hurry though if they want a doughnut," he said with a broader smile.

"No, I was hoping that Mason would text me back. I told him that I would save him a seat."

"I'll admit I was surprised that you and Mason hooked up so quickly. He didn't seem your type."

I frowned, "I was a little surprised myself. I really didn't think that he could stand me until yesterday. Our parents are old friends so we were spending a lot of time together. I thought it Mason was just being friendly because his parents wanted him to, like you." I was annoyed by his comment. I already didn't feel like I was good enough for Mason without him pointing it out.

Before Mathew got a chance to respond Paisley and Andrew wandered in to find us. Much to my horror Paisley only ate half of an old fashion doughnut. I checked my phone a few more times before we wandered over to the chapel. I put my phone on vibrate hoping that he was just running late.

When we walked into the chapel I was stunned. It was ornately decorated in large arch ways with wooden carved walls. The ceilings were vaulted and had gold leaf angels arranged along different areas. Large marble statues and huge painted stations of the cross decorated the walls. It looked more like a famous European church then a ski lodge chapel. It was breathtaking.

I distractedly walked into the very full chapel and glanced around seeing Dimitri sitting in the last pew closet to the isle. We made brief eye contact and he gave me an approving nod but, no Mason.

The service was similar enough to what I was used to that I could easily follow along. The priest was a short bald man that spoke with a thick enough accent that it was sometime difficult to understand. Sitting sandwiched between Mathew and Paisley I missed quite a few things that he said. After the service ended I looked up to catch a glance at my father walking along sit a statuesque woman with familiar blonde hair and sharp features. I could see the sad expression my father was trying to squash and resolved to do my best to make today as easy as possible for him.

"She is very attractive isn't she?" Mathew leaned over to whisper quietly in my ear.

"She is much younger looking than I had imagined," I returned quietly appreciating his discretion. We waited patiently as the chapel emptied, not wanting to attract too much attention to ourselves. Mathew's mother smiled pointedly at us as she walked by our pew.

After the majority of the congregation had dispersed Mathew and I made our way out and were immediately intercepted my Jill.

"Hi sweetie missed you yesterday. Have fun with Mason?" she said with a knowing grin.

I sighed. Sometimes Jill's bond with my Dad could be annoying. "Yes, but I haven't seen him yet today."

"The day is still young." Jill said happily.

"I heard that you were uninvited to tea," I joked.

Jill rolled her eyes in a way that she often did. "Yeah that grandmother of yours is a real gem. You look ready, very mature," she finished studying my ensemble.

"I will be just fine. She is just one woman after all," I continued mimicking Mason's earlier words. "Abe managed to get himself an invite. It is practically impossible to say no to him."

I gave Jill an encouraging hug and promised to call her when we were finish, although I was sure that despite not being in the room she would have a front row seat.

Mathew and I wandered back toward the lobby in an uncomfortable silence until he abruptly stopped. Putting each of his hands firmly on my shoulders he stopped me, "Paris I want to make sure that you understand something. I am not your friend because I want to please my mother. If I became friends with every person my mother encouraged I would have a thousand best friends. You are a great person that I have fun being around. It's incredible how much I smile and laugh when you're around. Promise me that no matter what anyone says you know that I honestly want to be your friend. Promise me. "

I took a huge step back to discourage the curious glances we were getting and looked up into his genuinely sadden expression. He looked so concerned. "I promise Mathew," I said his full name to emphasize the seriousness.

I felt a buzz in my pocket and hoped that Mason was finally going to respond. Looking down I realized it was my father passing me the remainder of the details for our all anticipated tea.

I looked up at Mathew, "Do you have any idea where the empire room is?"

"Yes, I think that it the circular room all the way on the top floor. It's a private function room I think. Not very big, but it has a spectacular view."

"Okay that makes sense," I said making my way toward the elevator. "That's where I'm being summoned. I'm sure I'll find it."

"I can probably show you the way better than I could give you directions," he paused. "If you want."

I accepted enthusiastically. It was so easy to get turned around in the long curvy hallways of the lodge, I was happy to not have to worry about being late. When we arrived I was momentarily stunned. The 360 degree view from the top of the 24 floor was a spectacular. We made our way over to a cushy brown leather couch, both of us sitting but too transfixed to hold any real conversation.

I melodic chatter behind us caught my attention and I turned to see my father and the same woman from church approaching us.

I glanced and forced a smile toward my father as they came close to us.

"The view is breath taking from up hear isn't it," the woman said in a way that she didn't truly expect a response.

"Yes, it's spectacular thank you for the invitation," I tried hoping to seem appreciative.

"Paris," Dad said solemnly this is my grandmother Daniella Ivashkov.

"Hello dear, you may call me grandmother," she smiled in an irritating way. "That is after all who I am right?"

I bit off the remark I wanted to make about how she decided now to be my grandmother, knowing that wouldn't help the situation. "It's a pleasure to meet you," I said with a tight smile.

"Shall we sit and have some tea? They should be along with refreshments shortly." She stopped and stared at Mathew as if she just noticed he was in the room. "Mr. Zelkos have you been making Paris feel welcome here?"

I'll admit I feared for him as he answered.

Mathew responded like a pro, "I've tried my best Madam. Paris is very good company." He finished with one of his famous polished smiles.

"Wonderful, join us for tea," Daniella spoke her command and moved toward the opposite side of the room where the tea service had been arranged.

Mathew looked surprised and glanced at me for reassurance but, I just shrugged. Dad observed our silent communication and gestured for us to move quickly. As we took our new seats I watched Abe exit the elevator and join us. He gave me a brief kiss on the check and eyed Mathew strangely before politely introducing himself.

"Such interesting company you keep Adrian," my grandmother remarked as Abe took a seat between Daniella and me. "So tell me have you been enjoying your stay here so far Paris?"

Really this woman waited sixteen years to meet me and she wanted to discuss my hotel room? I was momentarily disappointed. "Yes ma'am, it's a wonderful resort. I appreciate the lovely accommodations that you made for us."

Abe winked at me so fast I almost missed it. It's a good thing he was impressed because my hands were starting to sweat.

"I'm glad, thank you for joining us," she finished slowly taking her time to really look at me for the first time. "It is truly remarkable how much you resemble me."

I glanced at Mathew and despite the obvious tension in the room he appeared calm and collected. I decided to mimic him and busied myself fixing a cup of tea.

"Are you a painter like your father?" she wondered.

I smiled at my father. I always wished I had his talent to create amazing pictures. "Sadly no, I never had any talent with a paint brush, but I do very much enjoy music."

My grandmother looked up at me hopefully, "Your father told me how talented you are on the piano. Do you sing."

"Only a little, mostly when I play guitar," I tried to be honest. "I have a passion for all different areas of music."

"Paris is a beautiful dancer," Abe smiled proudly.

"I started teaching ballet this year. The little girls are so much fun, I've really enjoyed it," I smiled my first genuine smile of the conversation. Mathew noticed and nodded encouragingly.

"That's a shame. Wasting your talents teaching, instead of performing," my grandmother replied sullenly.

"I hadn't really thought about it that way. Where we live there isn't many opportunities to perform. Maybe in college," I said hopefully.

As the food was served, I grabbed a few small sandwiches and cookies to eat. I was hoping to force a topic change, but she continued to question me.

"Your father tells me you are quite bright. That you have practically finished your school work and have been accepted into college already."

"I tested out of so many classes that, despite not wanting to graduate early, I'm running out of classes to take. I am not interested in spending my senior year in wood shop so I applied to a few colleges," I tried to explain.

"Where have you been accepted? Abe asked innocently.

"I was accepted early admission at Columbia and Brown," I said slowly trying not to sound conceited. "I should hear from Yale and Princeton in the next few months."

For the first time I saw Mathew's facade crack. He looked like he could be sick.

"As I understand it Mathew you are having some trouble this year in school," she added not considering if she embarrassed him.

Mathew took a deep breath, "Yes Ma'am I am have trouble with foreign languages in particular.

Daniella stared, willing him to continue.

"Also, I have trouble in Math," he finished glancing at his hands.

"It's such a shame Paris couldn't tutor you, isn't it Mathew? Especially since she enjoys teaching so much. I'm sure that you could also benefit from her expertise in applying to colleges."

The phone in my purse buzzed softly but I was too astonished to give it any thought. The smile washed from my face. I did not appreciate my grandmother making her point at Mathew's expense.

"I'm impressed Mother I didn't think that you would bring up this topic until at least our second meeting," my father said snidely.

Her head snapped up to look at him, "I'm impressed with Paris. She is wasted at the school she attends. They can no longer offer her anything. Admit that you have come to the same conclusion. "

"Sydney and I have considered discussing it with Paris, yes."

With the mention of my mother's name my grandmothers face turned violent. "Good, then discuss it with her now."

"Discuss what exactly?" I interrupted apologizing to Mathew with my eyes.

Abe interjected objectively. "Are you suggesting that Paris spend next year at St. Vlad's?"

"What I'm suggesting is that she start next semester. Paris needs to be around people of her own kind. She needs to be immersed in our culture."

"Like a foreign exchange student?" Abe tried.

"Grandmother I am not a fighter," I interjected adamantly, "there is no way I would attempt any of the guardian classes. There would be no place for me. I would never fit in."

She had the nerve to laugh, "Well of course you don't, your an Ivashkov. Even if it is only half. You are a talented and intelligent girl they would have to make a place for you. I can be very persuasive. Give it some thought. I could make it mutually beneficial."

Now she was hoping to buy me off. I was beginning to thing think this woman was off her rocker. Glancing over at Mathew I saw him lightly tap his watch. Looking over the the clock on the wall I realized we had been sitting there for almost an hour. It was time to end this shindig.

"Excuse me, but Mathew has a previous engagement and. "

My grandmother stopped me in mid sentence and flipped her hand in our direction, "You are both excused. Paris, promise me you'll think about what we talked about."

"I will." I said standing up and grabbing my clutch. "It was good to finally meet you, thank you for tea."

Mathew and I started walking out but I heard my grandmother say, "It is amazing to me that you managed to raise a respectful teenager. After all Abe and I both failed miserably."

Entering the elevator I groaned, "That was painful. I can't believe her. I was totally expecting her to be demeaning or condescending to me, but never to you. I thought she would have more class. She is delusional if she thinks I'm going to drop my whole life and all my commitments to run off to the woods. I could never leave Ben. But, I promise Matty I will make this up to you."

Mathew shook his head, "That woman is a professional she knew exactly what she was doing. Don't worry about me I know she was just trying to make a point. I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me," he smirked and then frowned looking down at his phone, "Nicole is blowing up my phone, I have got to meet her or she is going to lose it. "

"I understand," I told him following him off the elevator after the long ride to the ground floor. I didn't even have a reason to be there I was so disoriented from the last hour. Stopping outside of the lobby I grabbed him for a huge hug, "Thank you so much for understanding. I am so embarrassed I can't even stand it," I looked down at my hands, "Please, please don't mention our conversation to anyone. Especially not Mason he would flip out."

"Yeah right he would probably be so excited he would do a back flip," Mathew stated.

I pleaded, "No, I don't think so. Just keep it to yourself okay?"

"What are you keeping to yourself Mathew? What should we definitely not tell Mason?" Nicole walked between us and asked in a slimy tone. "I can't believe you blew me off for her again, I thought we had an understanding?"

"We do Nicole," he said putting his arm around her and directing her in the opposite direction. "Don't freak out. I'm right here."

I shook my head as they walked away. He could do so much better.

Feeling dazed and out of sorts I turned and made my way over to get a cup of coffee. I looked over to see that Rose joined me in line.

"How did it go? Do I need to go up there and pull the old man off of her?" Rose asked casually.

"No, I don't think so. When I left she was busy insulting my father not yours," I added taking a sip of my hot coffee.

Rose grimaced,"You want to go sit and chat for a minute?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Sure."

We made our way over to an empty area of the restaurant and sat quietly for a minute.

Rose broke the ice, "So how traumatized are you?"

I smiled, "I'm okay really. In a weird twist of fate my grandmother seemed to like me. She has plans for me."

"That doesn't sound good," Rose cringed. "Promise me that if you need my help, with anything, you'll call me. I know that things can get out of control very quickly with Daniella and I'll help you anyway I can."

"That's really sweet of you to offer. I promise if I can't handle her I'll call you." I said finally relaxing into my chair.

"I know you didn't ask for it but can I give you a little mom advice?"

I nodded at her hoping she wasn't going to bring Mason into the conversation.

"I have seen you with Mathew Zelkos a few times and I just want you to be careful around him. He is a good looking kid don't get me wrong but, it won't end well," she finished shaking her head.

I wasn't sure what to say. I definitely couldn't tell her I had every intension of hooking up with her son for the rest of the week. "Thanks for the advice Rose, but I really don't have any intension of being anything but friends with him."

Rose looked at me like she couldn't quite believe me when I saw Alex walk in. He took a chair from another empty table and pulled it up along side our table and sat backwards on it.

"Hey Paris, I had fun last night. I think that Mason may have had the most fun though," Alex joked. My face flamed red. Alex was a typical little brother that couldn't keep his mouth shut. "Mason has been pacing in our room for a while texting you. He looked worried."

I had been hearing the vibrating coming from my clutch, but had been so distracted I hadn't checked it. I immediately texted him to tell him where I was and that I had just finished with my grandmother. I apologized and asked him to join us just as I looked up to see him enter the room and come straight at me. I was in trouble.

"Did you get my messages," Mason said sadly.

I hated that I disappointed him. "I swear I just got them. I was with my Dad and grandmother until a few minutes ago."

Alex just had to add, "Stop talking about it and go kiss and make up."

"Alex," Mason warned. My face was bright red.

Rose busted out laughing. "I guess my little speech about not getting involved with Mathew was unnecessary."

"Probably," I said under my breath.

"Come on Alex lets give them some privacy," Rose got up and grabbed Alex leading him out of the restaurant in front of her.

When they were out of sight Mason reached over and grabbed my hand. "I'm sorry I was still asleep with you texted me earlier. My mom thought last night was a good time to give us a kick ass workout. I was totally exhausted. I had every intention of getting up to give you a great pep talk."

"It's okay Mason," I said stroking the back of his hand with my thumb. "Matty grabbed breakfast with me. We met Paisley and Andrew for church. " I noticed that Mason wasn't relaxing. "My grandmother ambushed him and made him stay for tea. I felt terrible but he was a really good sport."

"Can you please tell me why you call him Matty?" Mason said stiffly. "Is there anything that I can do or say to get you to stay away from that guy?"

I looked up at Mason with sad eyes, "I just told you how much he helped me today when you weren't around. You should be thanking him not trying to tell me what a horrible guy he is. I call him Matty because I want to. What's your problem with him?"

"My problem Paris is that he wants in your pants. That's what he does." Mason looked like he was just barely holding onto his anger. "I know I can't expect you to stay away from him forever, but I was hoping this week while we were here together maybe."

"Mason do you hear how ridiculous you sound. Matty is with Nicole. She goes all crazy stalker girlfriend whenever he is around me. How could you think that I would want to be with him, when you are so much cuter?" I said trying to lighted the mood.

"Did my mother really give you a speech about why you shouldn't get involved with him?"

"Yup, she sure did," I nodded solemnly.

Mason grinned, "You want to go upstairs and relax for a little while?"

"Only if we go to my room, I might punch Alex right now."

"You got it," Mason said pulling me out of the restaurant and toward the elevator.

My day was about to get way better.

**I had every intention of getting this up much earlier, but in some computer mistake the first six pages I wrote got deleted. I sent most of yesterday trying to rewrite the story. I hope it came out better the second time :)! As always thanks for reading. I'm hoping to have another Mason chapter up in a few days! **


	9. Uncle Ou's Flaming Wok

Mason and I made our way through the lobby and back into the elevator. We had a very uneventful trip to my room. Mason gladly agreed to avoid the topic of my grandmother. I could tell he was trying to give me a chance to relax and regroup.

I changed my clothes into some great jeans and a soft sweater. Pulling on a pair of warm boots I was glad that the thick sole made me feel taller. I was starting to realize why my mother had insisted on such strategic packing. Mason waited patiently and thankfully didn't make any other comments about my friendship with Mathew.

Walking into the room I noticed Mason had pulled the curtains aside and was staring at the view out my window. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. Lying my head on his chest I felt cocooned in his strong arms. Mason was so warm it felt like being enveloped in a blanket. If I was honest with myself I knew I was getting attached to having Mason around. The reasonable part of my brain tried to warm me against getting in too deep with him, but I quickly pushed those thoughts out of my brain and curled tighter into his chest.

"What do you want to do today, Sweetheart?" Mason spoke into my hair.

Looking up at him, but not letting go I said, "I have no idea. I just don't want to have to move."

Mason gave me a genuine smile, "We can ski, swim, or stare out the window all day, whatever makes you happy."

"It's your vacation too Mason. What do you want to do?"

Mason brushed the stray hairs away from my face with his pointer finger. "I just want to have a normal day with you. A day where the two of us can just relax. What would you be doing if you were at home?"

Feeling silly I pulled my focus away from his amazing eyes back onto his shirt, "You'll think I'm boring if I tell you."

Mason let out a rare laugh, "Paris nothing about you has been boring. It might be a good time for a little boring."

I smiled into his chest, "If I were at home I would probably spend the day with a book or my kindle and I would get a warm blanket," I said squeezing my arms, "wrap up and read all day."

Mason pulled away slightly, "If you want to read me a story I'm happy to be your blanket." I gave him an indulgent smile. Mason pulled me close and kissed me gently. It was a soft sweet kiss. We stood at the window for a long time just watching the snow fall under the lights of the resort.

My phone started buzzing on my bed. I detangled myself sadly from Mason and checked my message.

"Mason we've got to get out of here," I said suddenly.

My alarmed tone snapped Mason into action. "What's wrong Paris?"

"My Dad just texted me. He's on his way up here with my grandmother. She wants to see my room. We have to leave now or I'm going to be stuck with her."

"Got everything you need?" Mason asked calmly. I grabbed my purse and we were out the door.

"We can't take the elevator," I panicked, "we'll run into them." Mason grabbed my hand and led me in the opposite direction. We followed the hall until it dead ended and turned around to try another hallway. After a few tries we found a musty set of stairs that were marked for emergencies only. My grandmother attempting to hijack the rest of my day with Mason was definitely an emergency in my book. Luckily, as we slowly pushed the heavy door open no alarms sounded. We followed the flights of stairs down counting as we went. When we arrived at what we thought was the third floor we pushed open the door and exited the stairwell.

"Do you have any idea where we are?" I ask Mason hopefully.

"Well," he started, "it appears to be some kind of corporate convention area." I nodded but had no idea where that was. "This is the same floor my room is on so if we look around a bit I'll find something that looks familiar.

I looked around and sighed. I really didn't have any idea where we were, but I was very glad not to be caught by my grandmother.

"Hey Paris," Mason said stopping in place. He ran his hands up my back and into my hair. With a slight tug he turned my eyes up to his, "You know right? You know I'll take care of you?" He looked so genuine there was no way I couldn't trust him. Mason didn't have to try or practice lines to be romantic, he just was.

I grinned a lazy smile. I started running my hands up his arms to his shoulders and pulled him toward me. "I know Mason," I told him convincingly.

Mason leaned forward so that our foreheads were touching and closed his eyes. No one said anything, we didn't have to. Just being together was peaceful.

Mason and I took our time and walked around. We got tuned around constantly and just when we thought we were getting somewhere the hallway would end, but it was incredibly fun. We took the time to talk about silly things like our favorite movies and since Mason never watched television I told him about the best shows. He told me all about his school and some of the classes he was taking. I loved how honest he was with me. It was an odd opportunity to get to know him, but I was enjoying every second.

Mason always had at least on hand on me. Either we were holding hands or he had one of his massive arms around me. Occasionally when we got frustrated he would grab my waist and pull me to him for a quick kiss. It was glorious. I know he was trying to make me feel safe, but when I was with Mason I was never scared.

By the time we made it back to Mason's room I was laughing so hard I couldn't stop. Mason attempted to put the pass code into his door with his free hand, but his body was shaking so hard with laughter that he messed it up the first time and had to start over. Halfway through his second try the door across the hall flew open. Rose stood in front of us with a furious look on her face that quickly changed to baffled.

"Mason," Rose said softly, "I didn't realize it was you. Hi Paris."

Startled I quietly returned, "I'm sorry are the rooms on this floor not sound proof."

Mason looked confused. Rose recovered quickly, "These rooms aren't sound proof like on your floor. You have to be careful around here, but it's not a big deal. Is your brother around?" Rose wondered.

"I'm not sure. We haven't seen him yet. We just came down here to escape her grandmonster," I bit back another laugh and stared at the ground as Mason continued the conversation.

"Okay, I was hoping we could have a family dinner tonight. Paris you should come too, Abe is planning something really fun. It's going to be early and very casual you won't need to change. We can meet here, 4:30?" Rose said hopefully.

We agreed and entered Mason's room in search of Alex.

"Talking about Alex has reminded me that I need to call Ben," I said sadly scrolling down on my phone. "O My Gosh it's almost midnight," I yelled as I saw the time flashing on the display. I was totally shocked and mad at myself for letting Ben down.

"You are getting used to our nocturnal schedule," Mason pointed out. He lead me into his room and I noticed that it looked a lot more like a normal hotel room. It was simple with two queen size beds and what appeared to be Alex's clothes covering the entire surface of one half of the room. "Sorry about the mess, Alex is a complete slob."

I smiled, "I understand I have a brother too."

"How old is Ben?" Mason wondered as he tossed Alex's stray clothing back onto his bed.

"Ben's nine and incredibly energetic. He drives his teachers, but mostly my mom crazy." I laughed thinking of all the ways Ben had gotten himself in trouble.

"Wow you guys are what seven years apart?"

I nodded, "Yup seven, almost eight years apart." I paused trying to decided if I would tell him more. "My mother was really sick when she was pregnant with me. Abe told me that everyone was afraid she was going to die." I looked down at my hands, "I think it took her six years to talk my dad into trying again. He won't talk about it, but I know that was one of the the scariest times in his life."

Mason looked confused, "That's unusual, dhampirs are typically extremely healthy. Was she sick with your brother?"

I felt like all the wind had been knocked out of me. I had no intention of opening this particular can of worms and I was a terrible lier. "No, she wasn't sick at all. There are some other extenuating factors I would rather not get into," I said watching his upbeat expression wilt.

"Right," Mason said quietly with is eyebrows pinched. "Are you two close?"

"We're super close. Ben's a good kid he just needed his energy focused in the right direction. Once he started taekwondo last year our house got a lot quieter. He seems to really enjoy it. I was always grateful my parents waited so long to give me a sibling." I continued, slowly sitting on Mason's bed, "I remember with when they brought him home from the hospital, he was so tiny. My father was so proud." I smiled wistfully.

"Alex and I aren't that far apart, but I still remember taking care of him. It's hard to think that soon I won't get to see him everyday. It's going to drive me crazy."

"I know, what will they do without us?" I joked. My phone buzzed to alert me of another text and I braced myself for another adventure, "My father applauds our escape. He's happy I have such resourceful friends," I read to him off of my screen. "I think that he likes you Mason."

"Does he usually give your boyfriends a hard time?" Mason remarked tightly.

I couldn't hold him my laugh. "You say that like I have a new one every week." He gazed at me still expecting an answer and plopped down on the bed across from me. "Honestly, I haven't ever brought anyone in-particular home. I don't really date much. The idea of getting close to someone is impossible. I would have to lie to him about practically everything. It's so different with you." I could feel myself blush and hoped that he might not notice. It felt uncomfortable to discuss this with him, but he seemed oddly interested. "What about you?"

Mason looked at me questioningly "What about me?"

I tilted my head and smirked at him. "Come on Mason do you have to beat the girls away?"

"Not really. I don't date, it's hard to imagine that kind of freedom. Mostly at school dhampirs just hook up. Sometimes they stay exclusive for a little while, but it's not a good idea to get too attached," he told me sadly. "My dad doesn't want me to be distracted, staying focused is important to him."

I hadn't considered this. Rose seemed fine with Alex's revelation earlier and she invited me to dinner. I hadn't considered Dimitri, he was a whole different ball game. I was suddenly very nervous about dinner.

Mason smiled, "I hope you don't play poker."

"Poker?" I repeated.

"I can always tell how you're feeling just by looking at your face Paris. You would suck at poker," Mason told me framing my face with his hands, "my dad thinks you're great don't worry."

I tried to maintain my scared face, but looking into his beautiful eyes I faltered and cracked a smile.

"Do you think that I could take you out on a date?" he asked shyly.

I looked at him like he was crazy. What did he think this was?

"Come on Paris. Let me take you on a real date. I want to pick you up and plan something special? Please."

How could I say no to that? "When were you thinking?" I tried to say casually.

"How about Thursday night," He paused to pull me into his lap, "I'll find some place romantic to have dinner."

"Okay sounds fun," I said brushing his long bangs away from his face so that I could look into his eyes.

I heard the familiar click of the door and looked over to see Alex enter the room. "Really Mason could you at least do that on your own bed." Alex said faking disgust and shaking his head.

Mason shifted me so that we could move to sit on his bed. "Mom's looking for you Alex."

"Yeah she told me about dinner." Alex remarked taking off his ski coat, "I get the impression they are planning something good."

I spent the next few hours introducing Mason and Alex to my Nick at night friends Seinfeld, Roseanne, and Frazer. Late night television left a lot to be desired, but at least we had a satellite with five hundred channels. Sadly, I couldn't find any Friend's episodes. I had fun explaining all the different shows to the guys and snuggling with Mason. Alex did surprisingly entertaining impressions.

My father texted me to ask if I minded him having dinner with some of his old friends and I told him about Rose's invite. So at 4:30 we walked over to Rose and Dimitri's room.

"Hey guys," Rose greeted us, "grab your coats." She frowned at me and reached into her closet and handed me one of her coats. I put it on, but quickly realized it was an inch too short in my arms.

"I'll go up to my room and get mine," I offered.

"Here take mine," Mason offered me he his ski coat. It was huge and the arms were way too long. I pulled up the sleeves and wrapped it around me a few times to make the gigantic size less noticeable. There was no way I was giving it back, it smelled amazing. "Thanks Mason," I told him wishing badly I could pull him to me and thank him with another bruising kiss. Mason put on what looked like a dressier coat and we all made our way down the hall.

"Where are we going Mom?" Alex was the first to ask.

Rose smiled deviously and teased, "It's a surprise and I think you are all going to love it."

We made our way down to the lobby and followed Rose and Dimitri to a large hotel van waiting out front for us. Alex and Mason looked stunned, but climbed into the fifteen passenger van to find Abe already waiting for us.

"Do you think that I should call my Dad," I asked Abe.

"Nope already told him," Abe smiled patting my leg, "Adrian said if you weren't safe with us you weren't safe anywhere." I nodded, that sounded like something my dad would say.

Dimitri drove with Rose sitting in the seat next to him. Abe brought one of his personal Guardians with us and he sat by the window opposite me. In the last row Mason and Alex sat silently for the entire ten minute drive. This seemed unusual, especially for Alex.

"What's wrong?" I turned around to ask the boys sitting in the row behind me.

"Nothings wrong." Alex answered, "It's just that they have never let us leave the resort before." He looked nervous and extremely jittery.

We pulled up to a small strip mall that looked a little run down, but had a huge parking lot. Including ours there was only a handful of cars in the lot. As I jumped out of the van I noticed a red awning with the words Uncle Ou's Flaming Wok spelled out in tacky fake gold lettering. There was even a large gold dragon with a red cape backlit on the sign. There was no way that the restaurant could possibly be open. It was almost 5 in the morning.

Abe climbed out behind me and I turned to him, "How did you get them to stay open?"

"The owner has an understanding with the resort. There are always ways to make things happen if you know the right people," he told me in not giving me anymore details.

Mason and Alex hopped out beside me, "You guys like Chinese food?" I wondered.

"I'm not sure I have ever eaten it," Mason returned surprising me.

"Really," I was a little shocked," You haven't even ordered delivery before? Mason shrugged and held the door open for me. There was no other customers eating but, there was a short man dressed in chef whites that led us to the table and a waitress waiting to greet us.

Abe put his arm around my shoulder and led me to a large round table that was already set up with menus and water glasses, "You're going to have to help the boys order tonight.

"This is so cool, everyone is going to be so jealous," Alex said taking the seat next to me.

Annoyed, Mason smacked Alex brotherly on the back of the head with a menu and gestured for him to move his butt over. Mason sat in the now vacant seat next to me and smiled into his menu pleased with his accomplishment.

Dimitri excused himself and left the table discreetly. He turned and walked back out the door. I watched him concerned, "Don't worry Paris Dimitri is just going to check out the exterior. We had it swept earlier, but Dimitri is always cautious," Rose explained as Abe's guardian took off in the direction of the kitchen.

By the time Dimitri returned the waitress had come and poured us each a glass of hot tea. Alex seemed to be studying the menu carefully. "If this is a Chinese restaurant how come the menu isn't in Chinese," he finally asked his mother.

Rose laughed, "Alex this isn't really an authentic Chinese restaurant it is more like American Chinese food."

I smiled at Alex sadly. It was obvious to me that Alex had missed out on a lot of general culture being locked away in Montana all these years. Mason hid his inexperience better, but I could still see that he was uneasy. Alex continued to fire questions at Rose and me about the restaurant and the food. It was like a bizarre game of trivial pursuit Chinese restaurant edition.

When the waitress returned everyone turned to me to order for the table," Come on Paris order something good," Alex said enthusiastically. I couldn't help myself I wanted them to try everything. I ordered all my favorite things and despite there only being seven us I once again ordered enough food for an army. Rose's only request was crab wontons one of my favorite appetizers.

When the food arrived Mason and Alex stared at it waiting for direction. Rose and Abe seemed much more adventurous and dived right in.

"What kind of soup is this," Mason asked picking it up and pouring it back into his bowl with his spoon, "it's kind of a strange color."

"Egg drop," I returned joyfully shoveling it into my mouth, "try putting some pepper in it."

After a few bites Mason seemed to get over his issues and polished off the bowl. Abe smiled at me indulgently, but pushed the bowl away from him, commenting on the strange texture.

To Rose's horror Alex destroyed the crab wontons when I introduced him to the joys of sweet and sour sauce. "Slow down Alex, I promise there's enough food coming for everyone," my laughter was suddenly halted when I felt Mason reach under the tablecloth and place his hand firmly on my leg. I tried desperately not to react keeping my focus on Alex, and fought to keep the smile of my face. I instinctively covered his hand with mine and squeezed tightly. Mason let out a loud laugh he disguised by directing it toward his brother.

It felt almost indecent sitting there trying to have a normal conversation with Mason's parents while I felt his thumb gently rubbing circles on my leg. I could feel my heart pounding in my ears and the flush was starting to form on my cheeks as Mason inched his fingers higher on my leg.

"You all right Paris," Abe smirked at me knowingly. Of course Abe noticed the change in my demeanor. I was fighting so hard to ignore it. He tilted his head toward me and smirked a knowing face.

I willed my pulse to relax and pulled my hands up to fold them innocently under my chin, placing my elbows obviously on the table. "I'm just excited for the next course," I obviously lied as I watched the waitress carry a ridiculously large tray over toward our table.

"Okay, so on the left side of the table," I pointed and explained, "we have got the house special lo mein, sweet and sour chicken, and pineapple fried rice. On the right we have sesame beef, kung po chicken, and shrimp with Chinese vegetables. Lastly," I gave a devious smile, "for the more adventurous, in the middle of the table we have the mu shu duck and General Tso's tofu." The entire table sat silent and stared at me.

I grabbed some chop sticks, pulled them apart and began to dig into the kung po chicken, "Better dig in this stuff is not good cold," I said encouragingly. Slowly the rest of the table passed around the platters and shot me more questions about what exactly the different dishes contained.

Alex watched me eat intently for a minute and finally asked, "How in the world do you get the food into your mouth?"

I flashed him a bright smile and tried encouragingly to explain to him the correct way to the hold the chop sticks. After many failed attempts Alex had almost given up, but I remember an old trick. When the waitress came over to refill our water glasses I asked her if she had any rubber bands. I took the paper wrapper off of a new set of chop sticks, folded it, and placed it between the sticks. After wrapping the end with the rubber band I tested it, "Okay now try it Alex," I said handing the newly fashioned chop sticks across Mason to him.

Alex took a minute to study my creation and tried them out. "Wow that's amazing Paris. You are like some crazy Chinese MacGyver."

"You have never seen Seinfeld, but you know who MacGyver is?" I wondered.

Alex shrugged, "I'm usually awake for Saturday Night Live."

"Got ya," I nodded, "well, I can't take credit for the chop stick idea. Most Chinese restaurants have a smaller version that they give kids trying to use them for the first time."

Alex looked insulted. Mason was beaming at me obviously enjoying our banter. His right hand was firmly attached to my leg and he was happily eating with his left hand. Rose was trying desperately to talk Dimitri into eating something besides the rice. He sat quietly and picked at the different food Rose piled onto his plate.

At the end of the meal I was impressed with how much food we had all eaten. I had definitely polished off more than my share and I was amazed how adventurous Mason had been. Abe would probably need to get a snack when we got back to the resort.

Abe leaned toward me and gestured toward the waitress and the chef laughing loudly and looking in our direction. "What do you think Paris, are they laughing at me?" Abe appeared to be totally unfazed by his observation.

I really couldn't blame them for thinking that Abe's grape purple suit and matching purple and grey plaid fedora looked odd.

I listened carefully, "Yes, they seemed to be particularly fixated on your hat." I gave a shy smile and shared a laugh with Abe.

"You can't possibly understand them," Mason said unbelievably, "they are talking so fast."

"I could certainly be wrong," I conceded.

Alex asked curiously, "What language are they speaking?"

"Mandarin," I said definitively, "which is good because my Cantonese is not great."

"Is there a big difference," Alex continued.

"Yes, they are completely different. The languages are practically unintelligible from each other. They have completely different phonetics and intonation."

Mason was still unconvinced, "Did you have to study this in school?" I could see the tell tale wrinkle forming in his forehead when he was skeptical.

"No," I sighed, "One-fifth of the worlds population lives in China, over a billion people. It seems naive not to have general knowledge of the language and people that have so much influence in our world. They have an amazing history and culture. "

"You know Paris for a second I though it was your mom sitting there," Dimitri spoke to me for the first time. I was caught totally off guard when he flashed me a breath taking smile. Dimitri seemed to be entertained by me.

"Thank you, that's a wonderful complement," I returned nervously.

Our waitress returned clearing our plates and instead of a check she left a large pile of fortune cookies. I wanted to pay my share, especially because I was the one that ordered the majority of the food, but Abe appeared to have it already prearranged.

I tossed a fortune cookie at Alex, "Okay, crack it open it up and tell us all your fortune."

Alex didn't need anymore encouragement. He ripped it open enthusiastically and read out loud, "The world is your oyster, but that doesn't mean you'll get it's pearl." He turned the paper over looking for more,"that's all I get."

"The great thing about fortune cookies is if you don't like what the first one says you can read another one," I said lobbing another on in his direction.

Mason tossed one at me and I cracked open the cookie like I had done a hundred times before and I read my fortune, "It's okay to have butterflies in your stomach, the trick is to get them to fly in formation."

"My turn," Rose said holding her hands out as Mason tossed her a cookie. She read, "The harder you try not to be your parents, the more likely you are to become them." Rose gave Abe a grave expression, but everyone else at the table exploded in laughter.

Alex tried to get Abe to read one, but he tossed the extra one at Mason and stood up to leave. Slowly we all followed him and made our way out to the van. Mason grabbed my hand and forced me into the back with him. He pulled the chair back into it's original position not giving Alex a chance to follow us.

"You didn't read your fortune," I said quietly.

Mason leaned over and whispered, "Later," into my ear giving causing goosebumps to breakout across my skin. I gave a little shiver, but I wasn't cold. "I like seeing you in my clothes."

I silently shook my head and pulled his coat tighter indicating my disinterested in parting with it. Alex spent the trip back chatting animatedly with everyone about our dinner. I looked out the window at the nearly full moon and enjoyed just being close to Mason.

Pulling up back at the resort we quickly exited the van and moved inside away from the frigid winter night. I gave Abe an enormous hug and thanked repeatedly for giving us such a special night. Abe left and the rest of us moved toward the elevators.

Facing the elevators I waited for them to open, but suddenly jumped forward when I felt a pair of hands landing forcefully on the tops of my shoulders. I turned to find Matty laughing wildly at my startled reaction.

"Hey, hands to yourself." Rose shouted at him in her no nonsense tone. "Didn't they teach you that in Kindergarden?" Sensing something was wrong Mason took a step in between us.

"Where have you been?" Mathew slurred completely ignoring Rose's comment. "Your Grandmother was looking for you. I wanted to cover for you, but I don't like any of these," he paused swaying back and forth and waving his hand, "you know people." He laughed at his own strange joke.

Dimitri put on hand on each of his arms and forced Mathew to take a step back away from all of us. "I believe that you are drunk Mr. Zelkos. You need to find somewhere to get yourself under control and sleep it off. If you cannot do it by yourself I am happy to find someone to assist you."

Mathew closed his eyes and lazily shook his head back and forth, "You know Paris you really could do way better."

"Really," I returned louder than I meant to, "I have been thinking the same about you." This was not how I wanted to have this conversation with Mathew. He was making a scene and people walking by were stopping to watch the show.

"Did you tell him," Mathew flicked his wrist in Mason's direction. "what a little genius you are?"

Mathew tried to move closer to Mason, but Dimitri stayed between them. "I bet she didn't tell you? Did she? Paris will be sent off to Harvard or Princeton or one of the schools for crazy overachieving book worms soon," he was mumbling and was forced to stumble not doing a great job standing under his own power. "Did Paris spill the beans yet? Has she told you where they want to send her first?" he shook his pointer finger at me and let out a strange chuckle, "Off to help all of us idiots."

"Enough Mathew," I stepped around Mason and went straight toward him. "You promised to keep your mouth shut! Don't you dare speak about things you don't understand." It was a low blow, but he deserved it. My wonderful night had just come crashing down around me and I was pissed.

"Get her away from him," Dimitri shouted at Mason. The elevator doors opened and he and Alex pulled me inside. Rose gave me a sympathetic smile. "I don't have anything left to say to him," I said to no one in particular as the door closed.

I pushed the button of my floor and let Mason wrap his arms around me. I leaned into him relaxing and laid my check on his chest. I was suddenly very tired. I took a deep breath and tried to memorize exactly what it felt like.

"Do you have any idea what he was talking about?" Mason asked cautiously.

"Can we talk about it tomorrow?" I begged, speaking directly into his chest.

The elevator opened on my floor and he released me. "Sure," he said sweetly and kissed the top of my head. "You want some company?"

"Thanks but," I forced a smile, "I really need to go to bed. Goodnight guys it was fun. Will you call me tomorrow?" I asked uncertainly.

Mason released me, "You know I will."

I gave the a small wave and turned the corner out of sight.

**I apologize for taking so long to update. My whole house was ridiculously sick and I lost almost a week of writing time. I usually update once a week but, I'm planning my next update for Monday. It's going to be a good chapter. I appreciate everyone's patience. Thank you so much for reading and for all your comments. They keep me writing when I think no one is reading. **


	10. I Didn't Know

**This is my favorite chapter so far. I hope everyone enjoys it. Thanks for reading!**

Despite relaxing most of the night I was incredibly tired. Just walking the rest of the way back to my room felt like an uphill battle. Unlocking my door I was prepared to dive full clothed into my bed. However, stepping out of my shoes and taking a few steps inside my room I was startled to hear shouting from the adjoining room. Hoping it was just the television or my imagination I took a few steps toward the sightly cracked connecting door.

"What do you mean you aren't sure where she is? Does she not own a cell phone? This is ridiculous Adrian!" I heard my grandmother yell for the first time. "This is how children get out of control. I let you run off with whoever you wanted and look where it got you."

"Mother relax. Paris is in good hands. Do you think that I would let anything happen to her?" My father tried to calm her, but her comments must have hurt his pride. "I think that all things considered Sydney and I have done a great job so far. Paris is a good girl."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. You let her continue to associate with unsuitable individuals like that Mazur character further and you are going to have a smart mouth ungrateful child on your hands. Just like you were!" She shouted back at him. "I want better for Paris than this sheltered back woods lifestyle you are so insistent on giving her. She's exceptional, can you imagine how if she was a Moroi what kind of opportunities I could have given her. I know you didn't think about the repercussions your little love affair would have on your children when you ran off with that creature."

I couldn't take it anymore I hit the door so hard with my shoulder that it swung open and smacked into the wall on the other side. I didn't say anything at first I was frozen in place. Looking around I surveyed grim atmosphere in the room.

When my eyes locked with my father's I could see the regret etched in his face. "Paris," he spoke softly, "I'm sorry you heard that."

I turned my pained eyes to my grandmother who stood stock still with no apologizes. "Where have you been young lady? Do you know how worried I have been?"

This was insane, the woman met me today and now she was worried about my welfare. I turned toward my father and did my best to direct my communication to him, "I thought you knew where I was. Abe said he cleared it all with you."

"He did sweetheart I wasn't worried." Dad returned encouragingly.

"You see I told you Abe would be the instigator in all of this." My grandmother took a step toward me and tried a pleading tone, "Paris you have to be careful who you associate yourself with. Making bad connections or reputations now can have repercussions that last a very long time. People around here have very good memories."

I so badly wanted to scream at her and tell her that a former inmate should not be lecturing me about bad reputations. I was so angry that the one person here that she chose to ally me with was just downstairs drunk off his ass making a huge scene and trying to drag me into it. But, what I couldn't handle was hearing her call my mother a creature. My mother was the kindest, smartest, most generous person that I knew deserved more respect.

I tried to think how my mother would want me to handle this situation and took a step back. All the stress in the room had me feeling like I was on fire. I pulled the long arms of Mason coat off and draped it over my arm.

Before I could respond she spoke up again, "What is that horrible smell and what in the world are you wearing?" She fanned her hand in front of her face and pinched her face like she was sucking on a lemon.

"We went out to dinner and I didn't have a coat so I borrowed one." I tried diplomatically.

My grandmother took a deep clearing breath, "Well, if you left the resort that probably means that not too many people saw you so thank God for that. You are an incredibly bright girl Paris, you have to know that a smelly ski jacket sprayed with cheap men's cologne it not a suitable option for you. You are an Ivashkov and you will smell, dress, and carry yourself as one."

I really didn't care what Mason had sprayed on the jacket it smelled incredible to me, just like him and I wanted to live in it. I wanted to roll around in it and never forget what it felt like in his arms.

"I can tell that you have good intensions Grandmother and I will try my best to appease you," I started cautiously, "but I promise you that if you continue you to speak poorly of my Mother or persist in calling her names I will do everything in my power to defy you." I wanted to threaten her within an inch of her social climbing life, but I kept it simple, "This is completely nonnegotiable."

The room was quiet for a heartbeat and I thought all hell was about to breakloose, when oddly my grandmother nodded. "Family loyalty has always been important to me Paris," she looked sadly at my father finally letting her perfectly posed facade crumble, "I would have done anything for my family, but in the end I failed them." For the first time I felt bad for her, even if it had been her own doing, she had lost her only child.

My father closed his eyes and his head fell to his chest in resignation.

"I'm glad we have an understanding," I said boldly hoping to end the standoff.

Without skipping a beat my grandmother swung her head up and plastered the cold facade back on her face, "At five this afternoon I have booked us the main level of the spa. Princess Jill has received an invitation," she glanced poignantly at my father, "and a few other women that I want you to align yourself with will be in attendance. Cross your fingers that a good salt scrub will remove that toxic smell from your pores. I hope that you will do your best to be punctual."

"I will," I conceded, "thank you for the invitation." I was impressed that she asked rather than ordered me.

She started toward the door and turned to ask, "O and before I forget would you like to extend an invitation to any of your new suitable friends?"

I thought for a moment, "Would Paisley Abernathy be suitable?" I asked respectfully and bracing myself for her response.

"You mean Alexandria's daughter?" she said knowingly. I had no idea. "Silly woman had too much royal blood in her to marry that Abernathy man. I'll send an invitation to them, anyone else?"

"Not that I can think of. Maybe I should warn you that Nicole Badica seems to feel threatened by me. I have no idea what I did, but she seems to have a problem breathing the same air as me. Did you happen to invite her?"

My grandmother looked surprised, "Definitely not, her mother is a vile woman. It doesn't surprise me that her daughter has a similar disposition."

I wanted to jump up and down and do an enthusiastic fist pump.

"Get some sleep," she ordered us both, "Adrian think about what I told you." She said and slipped out of the room.

I felt like I had been hit by a Mac truck and survived. Dropping my shoulders I slumped against the wall behind me, tilted my head back, and closed my eyes.

"You okay Paris," my father sighed.

"Long couple of days. I don't know how anyone gets used to this nocturnal schedule. I feel like I've been up for a week."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about." He tried again, "How was your outing?"

This pepped me up a bit, "It was really fun. It's odd how many normal things that Mason and Alex have never experienced. No matter what anyone tells you, I'm glad that I get to live a normal life."

He gave me a huge hug and nodded his head in understanding. I knew that the timing was terrible, but I needed to tell him about the drama Mathew had caused. My father would not appreciate being ambushed with this information later.

"I've got to tell you about something that happened on my way up here," I said still slumped over against the wall.

My father looked at me expectantly as I explained the strange confrontation I had endured with Mathew. Dad was impressed how well Mason had handled himself but, I was sure if Dimitri hadn't been there Mason might have escalated the situation. At some point in our conversation I crawled over to his bed and drifted off because the next thing I knew I was waking up in his bed. I could hear Jill's whispering voice.

"You've got to talk to Daniella," Jill said quietly, "he does this all the time. This isn't the first scene he's made either. Adrian the kid is unpredictable."

"Don't worry Jill I'm going to have a little chat with him myself."

I rolled over and blinked a few times not exactly sure where I was. My father and Jill were sitting in the adjoining eating area. I pushed the blankets off of me so I could stand up and realized I had fallen asleep in my clothes. Someone must have covered me with the blankets.

I walked in to join them. "Hey Dad-i-o. What's up Jill?" I said sitting at the table to join them.

Dad leaned over and kissed my cheek. "I ordered some breakfast," he said motioning to the cart by the window,"blueberry pancakes and coffee."

I smiled, "You ordered my favorite."

"He wanted you to eat while you still have an appetite," Jill joked. "A day with your grandmother's friends and it's possible neither of us will want to eat till we get home."

"Nah my Paris is tough. You should have heard her give my mom an ultimatum. It was extraordinary." Dad smiled at me.

Jill gasped, "Either you are a complete idiot or you are a diplomat worthy of the United Nations."

"I was angry. I wasn't being rational," I dropped my head in my hands.

"Hey don't beat yourself up Paris. Luckily mom respected you for standing up to her. I wouldn't make a habit out it or anything."

I turned to the cart and served myself breakfast. I only had an hour to get ready if I was going to give into my grandmother's request for punctuality. I left and after shutting the door firmly behind me, I cranked the Bose stereo in my room testing the limits of the sound proofing in my room. Screaming Linkin Park in the shower seemed like a good way to release my stress from the earlier day.

I had only been to a spa once before. My mom had gotten a gift certificate for her birthday a few years ago to the small mother and daughter run spa that was run in our town from my father. They didn't scrub you with salt like my grandmother had suggested, but we had our nails painted and the knots rubbed out of our shoulders. I was just hoping no one came at me with a wax pot and strips of cloth because that would be a deal breaker.

To my surprise Jill and I walked into the spa five minutes early. The place was modern with sleek Asian accents. The lights were soft and everything smelled strongly of citrus. About twenty people we already milling around. A few of the women wore all black uniforms, but most of the women held crystal water glasses with cucumber slices floating around in them. The terry cloth robes they wore seemed very short on the skinny long legs of the Moroi women.

We were greeted and rushed into a private changing area and given matching robes. It was like a strange slumber party. When they offered us drinks my request for coffee was met with horror. Apparently the only way to release toxins from my body was copious amount of water.

I spotted Paisley easily, her red hair shining in the sea of ultra blonde women. She looked lost standing awkwardly off to the side. When Paisley saw me emerge from the dressing room her eyes lit up and she came toward me.

Paisley threw her arms around my neck, "I can't believe you got me invited, this is amazing."

I pulled back and smiled, "It's not a big deal Paisley. Who else would I invite?"

"I know you don't really understand, but this is a really big deal to my mom. These are all the women that she grew up with. When she married my dad she stopped getting included in social events. She got shut out." Paisley was fighting back emotion.

"Well, cheer up, it's going to be a fun day." I encouraged her.

Paisley and I were whisked off into the heart of the salon. We spend the day being rubbed and scrubbed. My face was steamed and pealed. The experience was oddly invigorating. My grandmother would occasionally come in to the treatment areas to introduce me to different people explaining their importance and status. I really did make an effort to remember names.

When we emerged from the steam room the main area had been filled with different trays of tiny sandwiches and canapés. Everyone was literally pecking at the selection. I could probably take down the whole tray even after my generous breakfast.

Paisley stayed by my side and just shook her head humorously as I returned for a second, than third helping of food. It was a mystery to me how these people could survive on such small portions. Paisley introduced me to her mother who seemed sweet and good natured. She was very excited that we had made fast friends and chatted enthusiastically about us getting together at court over the summer. I had definitely made an ally in Alexandria Abernathy.

We continued our day of beauty by having our nails buffed and painted they wrapped our feet in a funny wax booties that made our feet ultra soft after they were ripped off. It was strange, but affective. I conceded and let my grandmother wax my eyebrows. I was proud of myself for insisting she stop there.

Mason and I hadn't had much of a chance to chat throughout my spa experience. Cell phone and steam rooms were apparently not a great combination. So, while we had our nails done I had a chance to text him about where I was and he sent me a bunch of funny texts about how tough my life was. I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Mason was really starting to let his guard down with me.

Our last stop of the day was to have our hair done.

"Paisley I'm so jealous. You have the most beautiful hair," I said sitting next to her my own swivel chair. I was watching her reaction in the reflection in the long mirror that stretched the length of the salon.

"Your kidding right. No one wants to be a red head." Paisley returned exasperated.

"Yes they do!" I argued. People spend hundreds of dollars a month in salons trying to achieve your perfect color. Everyone is blonde. We are a dime a dozen."

"None of the Moroi do that. It's really unusual for us to have red hair." She sighed, "You aren't ultra platinum blonde like everyone else either. You have all kinds of beautiful highlights and lowlights in your hair."

"At least you don't have to endure dumb blonde jokes." I tried.

"Red heads have way worst jokes. If one more person asks me if the curtains match the drapes I might punch them."

I couldn't help it, I busted out laughing.

"I used to pray everyday I wouldn't be a fire user. Unfortunately, my prayers weren't answered." Paisley paused, "You can imagine the jokes the red headed fire user gets. It used to be torture."

A huge smile spread across my face. "Being a fire user is awesome. It is way better than any anything else." I refrained from mentioning spirit which was clearly the coolest.

We both had our hair trimmed and blown out. I seriously felt like I was cleaner than I had every been. There was no way my grandmother could complain about how I smelled now.

Paisley and I emerged from the salon area and walked over to where Alexandria and my grandmother were chatting.

When she saw me, my grandmother frowned. "I thought you were going to cut your hair?" she said picking up the end of a handful of my hair, "It's too long and scraggily."

I was disappointed by her comment. I thought the hairdresser had done a great job putting in some long layers. "I didn't realize that you felt that way," I answered diplomatically and tried to deflect her comment. "I think they did a great job. Everyone here has been so sweet and helpful." I smiled sweetly at her and the rest of the women that still lingered.

We both thanked my grandmother repeatedly and took the opportunity to publicly stroke her ego. Paisley told her mother that she had an errand to run and asked if I wanted to tag along. Looking for any chance to leave I enthusiastically agreed to accompany her. When we left my grandmother seemed pleased that everything had worked out just the way that she had planned.

"Hey thanks for getting me out of here Paisley," I said gratefully, "where are we going anyway? If you are off to meet up with Andrew I think I'll leave you to it." I smirked.

"No, I just need to stop up on the sixth floor. It's no big deal I'll be quick and then we can to get an actual meal." Paisley cringed and stepped onto the elevator, "I think that if you had eaten any more of those salmon canapés I was going to gag."

I followed along to the sixth floor as we joked about the large very butch women that given us our massages, until I heard my voice being called. Looking up I realized sadly it was Mathew calling my name.

"Paris! Paris! Stop please," Mathew begged.

I hadn't had a chance to fill in Paisley on Mathew's behavior from the night before and I figured if she had heard she would have said something. Paisley paused letting Mathew catch up with us. I wanted to keep walking or disappear. I still had nothing left to say.

"What's going on Mathew? Is something wrong?" Paisley said taking in my expression.

"No everything is fine," I answered quickly, "I'm just not in the mood for Mathew right now."

Paisley seemed confused. She must not have heard about Mathew's drunken scene. There was no avoiding the elephant in the room.

Mathew didn't apologize or try to explain his behavior. To my surprise he tried to tell me what to do, "Don't go in that room." He pointed to the heavy oak doors a few feet in front of us.

Mathew had some nerve thinking that he had any right to boss me around. "It's none of your business what I do or who I do it with," I spat at him, "I stuck up for you. I told everyone that you were a good guy, that you were my friend. You embarrassed me last night."

"I'm sure I did," he replied without any remorse, "right now you need to trust me. Don't go in that room."

Paisley tried to referee, "Don't freak out Mathew, lots of dhampirs come up here, especially the hard core guardians. Paris won't get in trouble." Paisley walked to the door and entered quickly attempting to diffuse the situation.

I followed behind her. Mathew reached out to grab my arm, but I pulled away before he could get a hold of me, " Keep your hands off of me!" I screamed, "Didn't you learn that lesson last night." Mathew looked wounded, but backed off immediately and didn't follow us.

My pride had been badly bruised and I wasn't going to let Mathew think that he had any kind of hold on me. I still had no idea where we were going, but the room was elegantly decorated. When we stepped inside a very tall Moroi man greeted us and took down Paisley's name and room number. Just as I was about to lean over and quiz Paisley on what we were doing the same man lead through another set of doors. Lovely couches were arranged and sectioned off with delicate transparent screens.

Glancing around I saw at least on person sitting on each of the couches. Some of them were alone and others were lounging. I peered over to the couch across from where we were being led and a tall Moroi man that must have been in his early twenties flashed me a wicked grin and showed off his fangs. I had never seen anyone do that before and I stumbled a bit trying to regain my composer. My eyes were locked on the man as he sat down. The older woman sitting on the couch didn't say anything, but quickly tilted her head.

The blood ran out of my face and my hands started to tingle. I could reason what was going to happen next and I wanted to turn away, but I couldn't get my brain to communicate with my muscles. As the young man bit into the woman's neck, she let out a loud moan and my legs went weak. My flight or fight response kicked in and I tore out of the room.

I could hear Paisley in the background asking me what was wrong, but the white noise in my ears was so loud it blocked everything else out. Either she didn't follow behind me or I was too fast, because as I threw open the exterior doors I saw no sign of Paisley.

"Christ Paris," Mathew muttered and pulled me into the woman's room a few doors down the hallway. He led me into one of the large stalls and for the first time I vomited in a public restroom. After I had emptied the entire contents of my stomach I spent a good minute just dry heaving at the vision that was now burned into my brain. Mathew held my newly done hair out of the way and didn't comment. After I finished Mathew left the stall and I sat down and leaned my head against the cold marble wall. When he returned, Mathew had a cold wet paper towel that he laid on my forehead.

Crouching in front of me Mathew spoke gently, "Feel better now?"

I didn't feel better. I felt slimy and gross, so I just stayed rolled in a ball with my legs tucked in toward me.

After a few minutes Mathew spoke again, "Okay time to get you some water. Time to get up Paris." He held out his hand to help me stand.

I didn't move. "How in the world could you possibly know what I need Mathew?" I grumbled into my hands.

"Well, I have thrown up enough times in my life to know that afterwords if you don't drink some water you are going to feel like crap. I think that you should just take my word for it this time Paris. "

Figuring he was probably right and not having the energy to generate another snarky remark, I took his hand and stood up. Walking up to the sink and seeing the flowery decor I realized Mathew was in the lady's room with me. I washed my face and hands and turned to him, "You realize your in the woman's room right?"

Mathew gave me a weak smile, "I'm hoping one day this will be an amusing story."

I rolled my eyes dramatically at him, but let him walk me back to my room. I grabbed a bottle of cold water out my mini bar and attempted to chug the entire bottle. I looked over toward my closet and saw a large dress rack on wheels. Walking up to it I observed six new designer coats in a rainbow of colors and a shiny white ski jacket. Each one with a price tag that could pay a normal families morgage. No one could accuse my grandmother of being subtle. I looked over at the chair where this morning I laid Mason's coat, but to my horror it wasn't there.

"Feeling any better now," Mathew finally spoke standing just inside the door of my suite.

"Are you still here," I glanced over my should at him and said.

"I get it Paris your pissed off. You probably have every reason to be. I just want make sure you are going to toss your cookies again." He remarked and took a few steps toward me.

I could feel my chest rising and falling quickly. "I probably have every reason to be?" I repeated astonished.

"I don't remember anything that happened last night," he said staring at his feet. "Dimitri and your father filled me in on a little bit."

Being taken completely off guard I had no response for him.

"Look I'm not going to let it happen again. I'm going to be more careful," He tried.

I shook my head at him, "You don't get it Mathew. I trusted you. Everyone told me that I shouldn't spend time with you, that I would regret it. We can't be friends because I can't trust you."

"You can trust me," Mathew said quickly, "I know about your mom and I haven't said anything."

I was wrong, I might throw up again. "You know what about my mother?" I questioned him stoically.

Mathew could tell from my expression that I was not messing around, he spoke softly, almost whispering, "I know that she's human."

I didn't react, "Why would you think that?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense Paris. Your grandmother seems to care for you, in her own way. If your mother was a dhampir than I can see that she would have been upset, but it wouldn't have gone this far. I think that's why your mom didn't come with you. That's why you freaked out when you saw the feeders."

I closed my eyes trying to take a second to come up with a plausible rebuttal. For a guy that could act so dumb, he had remarkable reasoning skills.

"I'm not going to tell anyone Paris. I promise." Mathew looked at me sadly and took another step toward me. "I doesn't matter to me either way, I care about you."

I couldn't speak. To confirm his suspicions would be disastrous and I knew I wasn't a good enough lier to convince him. I looked him square in the eyes and tried a different approach, "Did you happen to mention this to my father?"

Mathew looked scared, "No way. He's a spirt user and I have no desire to be compelled to forget anything."

I nodded unsure how he knew that about my father, "I'm going to have to tell him about your deduction. It isn't a good idea to keep anything from him."

"Paris please, I don't want to forget you," Mathew looked resigned.

Before I could shut down his pleas there was a loud knock at the door. No one knew I was here, but maybe Paisley was coming to see why I freaked out.

I pulled open the door to see Mason's sweet smile. "You feeling any better sweetheart?" He said walking into the room. Taking one look at Mathew his smile turned murderous.

"Mason before you freak out I was just taking care of Paris. I know you're angry about last night, but was just leaving." Mathew spoke quickly and hustled out the door.

"What's going on Paris?" Mason hadn't calmed down. "Why would you let him in here?"

"Wait a minute Mason, start from the beginning." I placed my open palm on his chest to calm him, "How did you know I was in I wasn't feeling well."

Mason let out a long breath, "Paisley called me on your phone. Apparently when you ran out of the feeding room you dropped it," Mason held up my phone, "she said you were pale and you looked like you might faint. Paisley took off after you, but she said you practically disappeared. What were you thinking going in there with her?"

I covered my face with my hands, "When I ran out Mathew saw me and pulled me into the bathroom. He was friendly enough to hold my hair while I tossed my puked my guts out. He followed me back here and tried to explain about last night, but that's when you knocked on the door."

"Okay, but why did you go in with Paisley in the first place?" Mason asked skeptically.

I looked up at him sheepishly, "I didn't know that's where we were going."

It was quiet for a second, and then Mason surprised me. He broke out laughing hysterically and pulled me into his arms.


	11. Positive Reinforcement

Mason was laughing so hard I could feel his chest shaking under my head. He really did find this situation entertaining. I let him hold me enjoying the familiarity, but didn't say anything in my defense. I could feel myself still trembling even in the safety of Mason's embrace.

He pulled back to look at me with a concerned face, "Hey are you shaking Paris?"

I just shrugged. Words seemed to be completely lost on me. I had so many emotions dancing close to the surface I wasn't sure how to describe what I was feeling. Embarrassment began to boil over as the concern on him face became confusion.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have laughed at you, I guess I thought that you were exaggerating," Mason attempted to apologize while he ran his free hand across my forehead and soothingly down through my lose hair. My once clean hair felt matted with sweat and I wanted to pull away before he noticed, but Mason held me firmly.

"I mean you've seen your dad," Mason tried but I cut him off.

"No, I haven't," I yelled into his chest. I shook my head gently trying banish the idea from my head.

"Okay, Okay," Mason spoke soothingly and ran a hand down my back. He began to rock from side to side gently, "I'm sure that it was scary for you."

I pulled away enough to take a deep breath, "I know you don't understand, but it was. I have never been that terrified before."

"What about it was so frightening," Mason tilted his head down making a genuine effort to understand, "you know they don't really hurt the feeders don't you?"

I grabbed onto Mason's tee shirt making two fists at the hem of his shirt attempting to banish the trembling, "Yes I know. It's one thing to know about something and it's completely different to be faced with  
the reality of it."

"Don't get all philosophical on me Paris. Think back, what part scared you?"

I could feel my eyebrows pull together in confusion, but I took his advice and thought back. "Well, it was partly because I was so caught off guard. Paisley didn't come out and tell me where we were going. Mathew tried to stop me, but I was so angry with him about last night." I shook my head trying to pin point what exactly it was that made me run from the room.

"Just think about it," Mason spoke encouragingly and interrupted my thoughts, "it might help you out in the future."

I promised him that I would and returned to chugging a second bottle of water. It was definitely making my stomach feel better.

"So what did you do today?" I asked attempting to change the subject to something more normal.

"Not much, I was thinking about going skiing but someone is currently holding my jacket hostage," Mason said sweetly.

I felt terrible, "I'm so sorry, what a selfish jerk I am. I didn't even think about it." I made a mental note to track down his coat.

"Paris I was just teasing you, relax." Mason kissed me softly on the cheek, "After spending the day out with you, I couldn't go alone. I would be thinking about you the whole time. Do you think that you are feeling up to getting something to eat?" Mason wondered, "It might make you feel better."

"Not yet, I'm still way too jittery. I need to work out all this extra energy." I tried to explain, "I feel like I need to go for a long run or something."

Mason seemed to pep up, "After you finish off some more water we could go down to the gym. This place has an amazing set up. I could show you around."

"That sounds fun," I agreed. It was just what I needed to keep my mind off of earlier.

After I finish a third bottle of water I convinced Mason that I was feeling up to checking out the gym. Mason gave me directions and left to change his clothes. I texted Paisley to tell her that I was okay and thank her for sending Mason after me. It was a relief to have Mason to lean on after Mathew's declaration.

I changed my clothes into a tight purple razor back shirt and my favorite grey under armor yoga capri pants. They were probably the most comfortable clothes that I owned. I located the new pair grey and purple Nike running shoes I had gotten for Christmas.

I grudgingly called my dad to try to fill him in on information Mathew had tried to squeeze out of me, but I got his voicemail. I was totally confused if Mathew was being honest about wanting me to trust him. I was going to need my dad's help, but I hated bothering him.

When I walked up to the entrance of the gym I was surprised to see Mason already waiting for me. He was wearing a simple red tank top and black athletic shorts. Mason's clothes were simple, but showed off his amazing shoulders and strong legs. I already knew that Mason was a good looking guy, but seeing him in his element was going to be fantastic. Coming to the gym was starting to look like a great idea.

I felt Mason's eyes travel up the length of me. Even though I was wearing a heavy sports bra, I noticed him pause on my chest. "Paris," he said softly. His eyes turned urgent, "Do not come here alone. Don't go anywhere dressed like that alone."

I hesitated, and looked down at my outfit. I felt confident that I looked fine. I had worn this outfit many times before. Without thinking I rolled my eyes and said flippantly, "You are so overprotective Mason. You sound like my boyfriend."

Mason laughed, "I guess I do," he gave me a shy smile, "would that be such a bad thing?"

Our conversation had taken an unexpected turn, "No that wouldn't be such a bad thing."

"Come on," he said taking my hand and leading me through one of the heavy glass doors of the entrance. We walked up to a huge wrap around mahogany desk and checked in. Mason handed me a large bottle of water and he started to show me around.

The gym was amazing. There was the usual equipment, treadmills and ellipticals lining the glass walls of a large room that looked out over the one side of the snow covered mountain. A separate room housed every piece of weight lifting equipment that had ever existed. There was a giant room full of just Pilates equipment and even a room designated solely for fencing.

Mason and I settled in at a couple of treadmills in the corner of the enormous room.

"Don't be annoyed if I ignore you Mason, when I turn on my iPod I tend to zone out," I warned him. Mason smiled at me, but didn't complain. I cranked up the running mix that consisted mostly of my favorite guilty pleasures. I rocked out and we ran in companionable silence. Before I knew it the machine read eight and a half miles. I finished an even nine and looked over and was surprised that Mason had disappeared.

I wiped off my equipment and turned around to step off when I noticed Quinn, Abe's guardian that had accompanied us to dinner, on the treadmill behind me. I gave him a small wave and was relieved to see Mason walking down the long aisle toward me.

Quinn and Mason shared a masculine head nod as he returned, "You all finished?"

"Yes, I'm actually starting to get my appetite back."

Mason smiled, "We can go get something to eat soon, but first I have a surprise for you.

"A surprise," I said doubtfully, "where here at the gym?"

Mason nodded, "Yup follow me."

I let Mason lead me down a long hallway passed some racquetball courts and another sauna to the end of a strange hallway. "How far did you run," Mason wondered.

"Not too far, nine miles," I answered dismissively.

"Really, that's excellent," Mason commented. He appeared impressed, "Do you run often?"

"My Mom's the runner in our family. She talked me into training with her last time she did a marathon. I think that you need to me a certain kind of person to really enjoy running. I can totally zone out, it's kind of like meditating for me," I tried to explain.

"I would agree with that," Mason agreed, "for some people running is torture, but if you can lose yourself in it, running can be therapeutic.

When we got to the end of the long hallway Mason opened the last door and motioned for me to enter. It was a bizarrely arranged room. The floors were completely covered in a thick white mat that was soft underneath my feet. Each of the four walls were lined floor to ceiling in a similar looking mat, but it was thicker and softer. There was only one small window that one or two people could use to observe from.

Mason sat down in the floor in the middle of the room and crossed his legs in front of him. I followed sitting comfortably across from him.

"Okay where are we Mason?" I said stretching my legs out an touching my toes, "it looks like your trying to have me committed."

Mason chuckled, "I probably should if you keep hanging around Zelkos," I rolled my eyes at his comment, but didn't respond. "This is a guardian training room and we were lucky to get one they only have six."

I was on my feet and moving toward the door before Mason could finish his sentence. Unfortunately, Mason was faster, when I reached for the door handle my palm collided with the firm ripple of Mason's abs.

"Here me out? Please Paris, I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do."

"Damn right you're not," I told him softly, but didn't move.

"You told me that you didn't want to fight and that's fine. I just want to make sure that nothing happens to you. Do you know how much guilt I would have if you got hurt or worst killed? I can help you. Please let me help you," Mason begged.

I looked down at my hand, it was still firmly placed on his stomach. I avoided looking into his sad puppy dog eyes, "Eddie has been giving me this same speech for ten years, what makes you think I'm going to listen to you."

Mason took my hand off of his stomach and lifted it to his mouth, "Eddie didn't have the right motivational tools," he said and softly kissed my hand behind my knuckles. He pulled me back to the middle of the room not letting go of my hand.

"What kind of motivation do you have in mind," I asked cautiously and Mason flashed me a wicked grin. Before I knew what hit me Mason had me flat on my back and with both of my hands above my head in one of his. It didn't hurt, the soft mat absorbing the impact, but I was not prepared for the sudden assault. Mason leaned over me, "When you do a good job I'll reward you," he said quietly against my neck and began kissing and softly sucking until I let out an embarrassing moan. "Positive reinforcement is a legitimate teaching technique. Okay?" he whispered into my ear.

I let out a breathy, "Okay," and Mason helped me to my feet.

"Right," Mason spoke closing his eyes and shaking his head gently to clear his thoughts. I was pleased to see I wasn't the only one affected by his teaching philosophy. "So anytime you are approached in a compromising situation what's going to give you the best chance to remain unharmed?"

"You sound like a text book or an informational pamphlet," I cringed having been accused of the same thing many times. Mason let out a breath and cracked his knuckles intimidatingly. "So wait are we talking about Strigoi or just in general?"

"I think we should just focus on Strigoi. We can do general self defense another time. You are already faster and stronger than any human anyway just do your best to keep alert," he muttered and put his hands on his hips. "This is easy Paris, what do you do if you see a Strigoi?"

"Light them on fire," I grinned, "extra crispy."

Mason slapped his forehead, "Okay if you don't have a blow torch what do you do?"

I stared at him not sure what the answer he want was.

"Paris we only have this room for half an hour."

"I really don't know what you want to hear Mason," I announced tapping my foot. I was ready to give up before we had even started.

Mason grabbed me around my waist and pushed me against the closest wall. I was trapped. He made a cage with his arms and lowered his head so that he could look directly into my eyes, "Paris if you ever see, or even think that you see a Strigoi you need to run. Fast and far," he was suddenly very quiet, "do you understand? Leave whatever you're doing and go fast and far." He repeated. "Luckily, you have pretty good endurance, but they are incredibly fast."

"Yes, I understand," I attempted to be convincing. I fisted his shirt in both of my hand and pulled him toward me. Mason came willingly and kissed me hard. This kiss had all the electricity of our first kiss, but I was getting bolder. I ran my hands under his shirt, along his waist, and up his back. Mason returned my enthusiasm grasping my butt and pulling me up and into him.

I was lost in Mason and when he pulled away my knees were so weak he reached out to steady me. Glancing over I was grateful that had pushed me next to the window and not in front of it.

"Don't worry Paris I signed the room out no one will bother us," he looked down at his watch, "at least not for another twenty-five minutes. We have a lot to do lets go."

Mason took me back to the middle of the mat, "Have you ever done any kind of Martial arts?"

"Nope that is Ben's area of expertise not mine."

"The best thing for me to teach you is how to get away. I don't have enough time to show you how to incapacitate a Strigoi," he told me and I nodded along like a good student. "If you are caught from behind you need to try to use your smaller size you your advantage," Mason proceeded to show me how to leverage my weight and break away.

After walking me through the steps several times he said,"Okay lets try." Mason grabbed me tightly and I did my best to get away from him. It was strangely exhilarating when I broke free. "Now what do you do, Paris?"

I smiled up at him, "Run!" I reached up and gave him an enthusiastic high five. I wasn't expecting him to flip me around and pull me backwards toward him.

Mason's lips were in my ear, "That was very good Paris." He rewarded me by running just the tips of his fingers along the bottom of my breasts. My nipples were getting hard and I turned my head into his shoulder to avoid looking at them. Mason kissed my ear softly and released me.

My next lesson was to avoid being caught when he came straight at me. I know he was being gentle, but every time he knocked me down on the mat it was jarring. I just couldn't seem to get a handle on it and I was getting incredibly frustrated.

Probably the tenth time Mason pinned me down on the mat I didn't get up. I laid on the mat and stared up at the ceiling.

Mason hovered over me, "You have to stop thinking of me as Mason and start thinking of me as someone that's trying to attack you. I promise I won't let you hurt my pretty face." He smiled beautifully showing me for the second time his adorable dimples.

The next time he came at me I gave it all I had and managed to push him off of me briefly. Just as I was about to celebrate he grabbed me and pulled me down again.

"Hey," I yelled, "I thought that I had it that time."

"You did," he returned, "but I like you underneath me." He stared into my eyes and leaned back to put his butt to his knees. He softly moved his hands up my legs past my knees and I started to squirm. "Has anyone ever touched you here before," he asked me boldly as he reached the top of my thighs.

"No," I admitted and willed in to continue.

Mason let out a long even breath and his face got very serious, "I'm glad."

Even with my pants on when Mason ran his thumbs lightly over the apex of my legs I bucked up on the mat and seized his shoulders.

"I think that you might be right about this motivation stuff," I barely got out.

Mason continued moving his hands up over my hips and stomach, "I don't know, do you think it's affective?'

I put my arms around his neck and pulled myself to sit up, "I think you could write a book. But, I do have one complaint."

"What's that?" Mason beamed.

"I'm sick of being the one on my back," I spoke quickly and catching him off guard I was able to push him sideways and straddle him.

"If you wanted to grapple you should have just said so," Mason laughed, "now that you have me here the question is what are you going to do with me." He laid back unconcerned.

I threw my head back and laughed, "I'm going to torture you the way you did me." I leaned forward and started to mercilessly tickle him. I started under his arms and moved quickly down to his stomach. Mason was caught off guard. He looked shocked and bucked fiercely under me.

"You little," he shouted and flipped me back underneath him.

"Witch," I finished proudly.

Mason shook his head and looked at me adoringly "Angel," he ran his left hand over my face and pushed my now wild hair out of my eyes. "I've been involved with witches before and no way you are like them." Mason kissed me quickly and stood up pulling him with me.

I put my hands on my hips stated proudly, "You know Mason not all witches are bad."

Before Mason could answer the heavy door to the room opened. Rose and Eddie busted in shocked to see us.

"Hey Mase, how did you two manage to get a room?" Rose wondered, "It's totally booked up."

Mason responded calmly, "We've been here for a while. Went for a run and waited until one was available."

"That was smart. We saw your name on the sign up sheet thought we'd come see how you were doing." Rose explained, but, when we didn't respond she continued, "You don't mind do you?"

I just shrugged in response. "I should probably get out of here," I tried to escape.

"No way," Eddie spoke up for the first time, "I have been waiting to work with you for a decade. You meet Mason and in four days he's talked you into it. I'm wounded." Eddie covered his heart with his hands and pretended to be offended. I suspected it wasn't completely an act.

"I was coerced," I said my expression completely dead paned.

"I bet you were," Eddie rolled his eyes.

"What can I say," I threw my hands up palm first, "Mason has better dimples."

Rose tossed her head back and let out an explosive laugh.

Mason folded his hands in front of himself in protest, "I don't have dimples."

Rose reached up and pinched Mason's face in one hand, "Yes you do, they just don't come out unless you are genuinely happy. It's not often enough."

I smiled smugly. "We don't have much time left so I'll just let you folks get to it," I attempted again to leave."

"We booked the slot after you," Rose smiled, "so we have plenty of time."

"How did you do that?" Mason said disbelievingly, "The guy told me there was a two hour wait when we got here."

"Your mom talked him into it," Eddie said unsurprised, "she could sell ice cream to an Eskimo. I'll never understand why they only have six of these rooms. No matter what time a day it is, there is never any available." I supposed that if you could break into a prison you could probably sweet talk a gym attendant.

"What did you bribe him with?" Mason wondered.

"I can't share all my secrets," Rose responded smartly. "Now quit stalling and show us what you're working on.

The room was a good size, with plenty of room for all four of us. It was just incredibly awkward. I was suddenly feeling very shy and Rose had to practically shove me at Mason. When Mason grabbed me all I could think was how he had touched me. I couldn't clear my head. Mason continued to easily pin me to the mat, but our earlier banter was gone. He just politely helped me up to try again.

Watching Eddie and Rose fight was something of beauty. The way they moved was like a well choreographed dance routine. The talent in their movement and skill level was off the charts. I made a mental note to never piss off Rose.

When we were almost finished Eddie was so impressed he put an arm around Mason, "I'm so glad that you talked Paris into this. Hopefully, it's just the beginning."

I chucked under my breath and started stretching.

"Paris did you show Mason all of your tricks?" Eddie said casually.

Rose spit out the swig of water she was drinking,

"Get your mind out of the gutter Rose. I'll I meant was that Paris can walk on her hands for like a mile." Eddie explained.

"It's a very useful talent," I conceited and switched to stretch my other leg.

"I figured you'd show off one of the crazy back flips that you used to do," Eddie tried again.

"I'm not much of a show off," I said shyly, "you do realize I'm not twelve anymore right?"

Eddie came over and sat in front of me, "I know you're not, but I forget sometimes." He smiled sweetly and I knew something was up,"Do you think that you could do me a favor? If I got you some sheet music could you play a song for me?"

"On the piano?" I wondered.

"Yeah, I was hoping at dinner tomorrow," Eddie explained.

I looked up at Mason, who was hovering near by "Are we still planning to?"

"Yes, we definitely are," Mason finished without making me explain the plans for our date.

"What are you two up to?" Rose butted in and sat opposite me.

"We just have plans for dinner tomorrow," Mason said casually.

"It's a surprise for Jill, but we could probably do it Thursday instead," Eddie said nervously.

"Tomorrow night is the luau, we can't miss that," Rose insisted. "I don't care how anti social you are feeling like being Mason, it's a tradition.

"We'll see," Mason declared, but didn't elaborate on any more of his plans.

"Thursday is New Year's Eve Eddie, very romantic," I told him encouragingly, "plus it will give me a little time to practice."

Eddie didn't seem convinced, "You think so?"

"Totally," Rose added, "I read an article on the plane that said New Year's Eve is the second most popular day to get engaged after Valentine's Day. It would be a great time for a romantic gesture."

My hands flew up to my mouth, "O my God are you going to propose?"

Eddie blushed and looked over at Mason, "Women, you can never keep a secret from them."

I jumped up and started clapping my hands like a monkey with symbols.

"I'm so excited for you Eddie" I told him as he stood up, "I promise I'll play perfectly." I gave him a huge hug. "Then you can lots of babies," I joked squeezing him tightly.

Eddie let out a huge laugh, "One thing at a time." His face got very serious, "Don't tell her Paris, you have to promise."

"Scouts honor," I responded holding up two fingers.

Rose got up and hugged Eddie. I looked over at Mason who had suddenly gotten very quiet.

As we walked out of the door I noticed Quinn standing a few steps away from the door. That seemed very strange and I flashed him a confused look. It suddenly occurred to me that Quinn could have been watching Mason's earlier lesson and a deep blush began to form on my cheeks.

"I'm so hungry I'm weak," I said trying to ignore my earlier thoughts. "I could probably eat a whole cow." I looked over at Rose, "How do you deal with all these tiny bits off food all the time?"

"I order more than one meal most of the time," she told me candidly.

"Good idea," I remarked following her down the hallway.

We continued to walk back out of the labyrinth of the gym and when we got to the outer doors I said my goodbyes to Eddie and Rose. Even under duress I had to admit I had a good time.

I looked up at the now ashen Mason, "You are looking a little weak too, ready to go get some dinner?"

Mason stopped abruptly, "I think that I'm going to go get a shower and spend sometime with my parents.

The smile fell from my face. "Yeah you totally should. I'm sorry for assuming you'd want to go with me. I've been monopolizing your time." I told him quickly, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty.

"No, it's not your fault," he said stoically. "I'll text you with the information for tomorrow."

I agreed and he gave me a very quick peck on the check. I stood in place and watched him leave in the same direction as Rose and Eddie. Mason's abrupt mood swing was confusing and I was disappointed not to get more time with him. I tried to remind myself how little time he got with his mom and dad.

I started back to my room grateful for the detailed directions Mason had given me. When I stepped onto the elevator I was again surprised to see Quinn follow me on. We were the only two in the elevator and it was starting to get uncomfortable.

"Is it just a coincidence that I've seen you three times today?" I asked him, but frustratingly he just shrugged his shoulders.

"If you're going to follow me around don't you think the least you could do is talk to me," I fired again.

Quinn smiled at me, "I just go where Abe tells me to."

My jaw hit the ground. When Quinn spoke he had an incredibly thick Irish accent that was totally unexpected. He was a decent looking guy, tall with light brown hair, but his accent made him go from a solid eight to and eighteen. "Abe told you to follow me around?" I said confused, "He thinks I'm not safe here?"

"Honestly I didn't ask," he said chuckling softly.

"You do everything he tells you to do?"

"You make it sound like a bad thing," Quinn teased.

I didn't expect him to follow me further, so when I stepped off the elevator and Quinn fell instep with me I frowned.

"So Abe must really trust you if he ask you to follow me around," I spoke losing patience.

"He has his reasons," Quinn muttered softly.

"You're not going to stand outside my door or anything weird like that are you?"

I asked uncomfortably.

He shook his head at me with a smirk.

"Good because I'm suddenly in the mood to crank The Cranberries," I joked as I opened my door, "see you around."

Quinn let out a quiet laugh and said vaguely, "I have a feeling you will."

I opened the door I was assaulted with the smell of fresh cut flowers. Sitting on the glass table in the sitting room as an enormous bouquet of purple hydrangea. The card sticking out of the top read, I'm was jerk. Forgive me. Matty

His words weren't poetic, but I appreciated his gesture. This was the first time I had ever received flowers from someone other than my father or Abe and it was kind of exciting.

My phone buzzed and looked down to see my dad was on his way back to his room. I walked through the adjoining door and waited for him to arrive.

"Geez it smells like a sweaty garden in here," my father complained entering the room with his nose crinkled up.

"Sorry I stink," I apologized. "I had a good work out though."

"That's good." He smiled, "Flowers from Mason or Mathew?"

"Mathew," I disclosed, but didn't elaborate.

"I had a long chat with him earlier," Dad started. "He wasn't lying when he apologized. He seems to be truly sorry."

"I got the impression that Dimitri put the fear of God in him," I snickered.

Dad nodded," I would say that is probably a correct assumption. However, he didn't share his thoughts about your mother with me. Abe went and had a chat with him a couple hours ago. I'm feeling reasonably confident he can keep his mouth shut for two more days."

"Two days?" I asked my voice getting quiet.

"Yeah the St. Vlad kids leave on Friday night," he confirmed. "They have their own plane that takes them back."

I couldn't breathe. I knew they were leaving, but I hadn't been faced with the reality of it yet.

"Enough about them, I feel like we haven't spent anytime together," Dad told me regretfully.

I forced air into my lungs and plastered on a fake smile, "I know it kind of sucks, but I have been having a really good time. Even today down in the gym I worked out with Eddie and Rose and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"Really," Dad looked speechless. "Have you put anymore thought into your grandmother's proposal?"

My first thought was to tell him about what Eddie's proposal, but I quickly remember if I told Dad I would quite possibly be also spilling the beans with Jill.

I contained my excitement and responded, "No, I don't think it's a good idea. I'm not sure I want to be so far away from my family. Me just leaving would really effect Ben, he depends on me. It's something that I might consider for next year, but this semester I am going to stay put."

"We all love you Paris and we want you to do what's best for you," Dad smiled, "make your decisions based what you need and we will all be behind you. The reason I asked you now is because your grandmother would like to have breakfast in the morning and I have a feeling she is going to ask you."

I nodding understandingly, "I'll think about a good way to break it to her."

Dad decided to drop the bomb, "You want to talk about what happened earlier up on the sixth floor?"

I started down at my hands suddenly feeling dizzy at the thought of what had happened. "Who told you about that?" I asked quietly.

"Doesn't matter," Dad remarked dismissively. "That doesn't have anything to do with your decisions about school does it?"

"No," I told him quickly. I was totally mortified that he had heard what had happened, that meant other people were talking about it. "I'm really not ready to talk about it."

"When your ready I'll be here," Dad said and pulled me out of the chair and into a big hug.

"Okay I'm going to grab a shower and get something to eat I'm starving."

Dad smirked, "Good you stink. I'm going to bed."

After giving me the details for breakfast I returned to my room and put The Cranberries, Treasure Box album on shuffle and took a long shower. After I finished and dried my hair I noticed I had two missed calls and a text message from Mathew. I figured since I had a little more than two days left with him, it was probably a good idea to tell him I had forgiven him. So I called him back.

"Do you still hate me?" Mathew answered his phone.

"No," I sighed, "I'm over it. Thanks for the flowers by the way, they're beautiful."

"I'm glad. What are you doing?" Mathew asked enthusiastically, "You attached to Mason at the moment?"

"I'm going to get some food. If I don't eat soon I'm going to chew off my own arm. Mason is spending time with his parents, why?"

"Perfect," Mathew shouted the background noise on his phone suddenly getting loud. "We are up on the tenth floor at the piano bar. Come join us they have a great menu."

"Who's we?" I wondered cautiously.

"Don't worry Nicole is doing mandatory family time too. Paisley has been freaking out all night, she thinks you hate her. I'll even order you some food so it's ready by the time you get here."

Mathew's offer was so tempting I could hear my stomach growling. "Order me a steak, a big one."

"You got it, how do you want it cooked," he spoke pleased with his victory.

"Well done," I yelled into the phone. We both busted out laughing, "Please tell Paisley that I don't hate her."

"Tell her yourself when you get here," Mathew joked. "O and Paris wear something hot!" he called out and hung up.

I found a great little black dress hanging in my closet that wasn't too short or low cut, but tight enough in the right places to be hot. Not having any patience I tossed my hair up in a neat bun and secured it with some sparkly clips. I grabbed some super high heals, my wallet, and was out the door.

In a wonderful twist of fate the elevator was waiting empty on my floor and it only took me a minute to get up to the tenth floor. Just as Mathew had promised the piano bar sat directly opposite the elevator and was super easy to find. A neon sign read, Play It Again at the top of the entrance. I walked in and easily spotted the group at a great table up front opposite an enormous piano.

As soon as she saw me Paisley jumped up and ran toward me. Paisley shouted over a very good rendition of Only the Good Die Young, "Please tell me that you forgive me. I was so stupid," Paisley grabbed a hold of my hands and looked at me apologetically, "I should explained where we were going."

"I don't blame you Paisley, there's nothing to forgive," I spoke into her ear, "now can we never talk about this again. I think the food has arrived. "

Paisley smiled and nodded enthusiastically. She led me over to the empty seat between her and Mathew. Andrew greeted me along with a couple of people I hadn't met. It was way too loud for introductions.

The waiter was a short balding man. He had been around long enough to know the huge steak was mine. A beautiful 24 ounce well done porterhouse sat before me and I couldn't help but give Mathew an enormous smile.

**Next Chapter of Mason should be up Monday! Thanks for reading everyone. **


	12. Caught in the Crossfire

It was silly and it was ridiculous, but it was fun. As I finished my dinner, I sat watching person after person take the stage. Most of them making fools of themselves. Each one singing songs that had the crowd either laughing at them or with them. With each rendition of Madonna or Celine Deion I forgot about all the reasons I was stressed or uncomfortable and relaxed for the first time in days.

Mathew's grin rivaled only mine. I was happy to see that he had held off on drinking for the evening and it wasn't an alcohol induced happiness. At one point he leaned over and put his arm around me. It was comfortable and warm, but not romantic. Paisley got up and cuddled in Andrew's lap as a moderately talented woman belted Taylor Swifts _Teardrops on my Guitar_.

"I know you want a turn." Mathew teased while the pianist took a quick break, "What do you want to sing? I don't think anyone has done _I Feel Pretty_."

I cringed, "I have no interest in making a fool out of myself." I rolled my eyes exasperated and pulled away from him. "You really think that's what I would choose to sing?"

Mathew's eyes got big. He could tell that he had insulted me, "You know Paris, if I'm honest, I never have any idea what you're going to do. It makes me totally crazy." Mathew looked distraught.

I shook my head and laughed at him. "You know you aren't the first person to tell me that. What are you doing to sing _I'm Sexy and I know It_?"

"You think I'm sexy," he teased.

I stared at him and tried desperately not to smile.

"I thought I knew what I was doing around women before I met you. You have shaken my confidence."

Paisley caught the tail end of our conversation and busted out laughing. "You know Mathew I believe you," Paisley poked him. She tilted her head toward me, "Ladies room?"

I nodded and followed her across the restaurant. My jaw dropped as we walked passed the tall stools that lined the mahogany bar. Quinn raised his short squatty glass of brown liquid at me and smirked. The crazy stalker guy was at least enjoying his job.

The restroom looked like a Hollywood dressing room with large bright yellow light bulbs lining the oversized mirror. We passed by the usual winding line and went straight for the sinks.

"You look great tonight, I couldn't believe how fast you got down here," Paisley said while attempting to reapply her lipstick.

"Thanks," I told her appreciatively as I fixed my eyeliner. All the laughing I had done caused it to smear down my face, "it was sweet of you to invite me. Hey weird question, you're a junior right?"

"I don't graduate till next year if that's what you mean." Paisley explained, "Technically I'm a third year in the upper school."

"What about Mathew and Andrew?"

"Mathew is a third year like me, but I think that he would graduate this year if they would let him. He really doesn't like school. I can tell he is sick of the partying and no one ever leaves him alone," Paisley spoke sadly. "He gets guilted into being on every committee and showing up to every event. Nicole seemed to brighten his mood for a while, but we both know how that worked out for him."

I washed my hands and followed her toward the door. The music had picked up and I could barely hear her say, "Andrew graduates this year." She gave me a sad smile, "I'll see him all summer at court, hopefully we make it that long." I could tell she was really falling for him.

As we returned to our table I felt Quinn's eyes follow me across the room. Speaking with Abe would be on the top of my to do list for tomorrow.

A very drunk Moroi man finished up a lively rendition of _Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy_ as we took our seats. The plates had been cleared and mine had been replaced by a huge piece of green key lime pie with an enormous meringue topping. It looked amazing.

Mathew leaned across me, "I wasn't sure what you liked, but the waiter said it was very popular. I double dog dare you to eat the whole thing. You up for the challenge?"

I stared at the pie, "Totally."

I took down the whole thing as a wide eyes Paisley looked on. It was heaven in desert form. Mathew looked proud.

Just as I finished I was startled out of my pie coma by an incredible male voice. On stage a melodic version of Let It Be flowed through the restaurant. Alex Belikov stood next to the piano with a black microphone. He wasn't trying to dance around or strut, Alex was letting the music speak for it's self in a wonderfully understated way. As the final cords of the piano resinated the usually rowdy crowd sat unexpectedly quiet. Someone let out high pitch whistle and a roaring applause followed. I wondered if Alex had any idea how talented he was.

Mathew stood up and spoke to the table, "Everybody ready?"

I stood up and asked him, "What about the bill?"

"I took care of it." he said like it was no big deal.

I was a little bit speechless. His words felt loaded. Mathew was trying to say more with those four little words.

"You didn't have to do that," I answered and dug around in my clutch for my cards.

"Hey don't sweat it Paris." Mathew reassured me, "Watching you take down that pie was totally worth the price of admittance.

The crowd began to break up and it was slow getting into the hallway. As we walked out I felt a warm hand low on my back. Mathew leaned forward and spoke into my ear, "Did you have fun?"

My face split in a huge smile, but kept my eyes forward. "Yes, Mathew it was the most fun I have had in forever."

"I was hoping you'd say that," he said falling instep with me. I looked around and briefly located Paisley and Andrew. Even with their arms wound around each other they were fighting the crowd to catch up with us.

"On a totally different subject, you aren't graduating this year are you?" I wondered.

Mathew abruptly stopped and pulled me to a halt beside him. People had to swerve around us to move with the crowd.

"You're thinking about coming to Saint Vlads." Mathew said definitively. "I can't believe you are actually considering it."

I shrugged silently.

"I'm not graduating this year," he answered.

An older dhampir man cursed under his breath narrowly avoiding a collision with Mathew. When he realized who Mathew was the blood ran out of his face and he apologized.

"Not this year," I explained, "I'm thinking about next year. I want to keep my options open, but it feels like it could be a good move for me."

Mathew totally shocked me as he scooped me up and spun me around in a circle, "This is incredible Paris. I'm so happy right now, you have no idea."

I was breathless and stunned by Mathew's display of enthusiasm. He placed me jarringly on my feet. I had to grab onto his shoulders to steady myself.

Paisley and Andrew caught up to us and flashed us disbelieving looks. "What's going on?" Andrew asked Mathew.

"Just some really good news," Mathew replied casually. I was grateful for his discretion.

The crowd had parted as the elevators packed full and I caught a glimce of a very unwelcome sight. Nicole stood ethereally in a shiny red halter dress and very high stilettos. Her shiny black hair and piercing eyes made her easy to identify.

Despite the dispersing crowd you could clearly hear Nicole say, "You whore!"

The next thing I knew all hell broke loose. Nicole came straight toward us and lunged at me. Mathew jumped in front of me, but despite her killer heals Nicole rolled out of his grasp and continued straight toward me. The ferocious look on her face alone had me stepping back toward the wall. Things were happening all around me. Despite Nicole's desire to hurt me, it never occurred to fight back. Andrew caught Paisley around the waist and tried his best to hold her back out of the fight. Nicole's single minded anger was not easily detoured.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Quinn flash forward and stand protectively in front of me. He caged me in against the wall. I felt the cold wall behind me. Without placing his hands anywhere near Nicole, Quinn was able get her to retreat. "Miss you need to back up," he told her intimidatingly.

"Seriously," Nicole bellowed, "since when do dhampirs get guardians? You are disgraceful, a complete embarrassment to your kind."

"Thank you for your assessment Ms. Bodinca," Quinn said clearly annoyed.

Alex moved stealthily around the group that was beginning to form around us. He snaked his way between Quinn and me, "What happened?' he asked me frantically.

"Nicole calm down, you're making a scene out of nothing," Mathew spoke soothingly and he tried to reason with her.

"Out of nothing!" Nicole answered frantically shaking her head at him. "You can't do one thing for me. All I asked was for you to stay away from her." She sneered in my direction. "Still every time I see you together your hands are on her."

"Your little love story is fascinating," Quinn stated losing all patience for the unraveling situation, "but, you need to take it somewhere else. You are not to put your hands on Paris."

Nicole looked at Quinn with pure venom in her eyes, "You," she pointed at him sticking her finger forcefully into his chest, "need to learn your place." She tuned her attention toward Alex and me, "All of you seem to have forgotten your roll here. You are nothing, but scum. A means to an end. Keep you hands off of Mathew or I swear to God Paris."

Quinn cut her off taking a step forward into Nicole's personal space, "You do not get to threaten Paris. If you do, you'll be dealing with me. He turned toward Alex, "Get Paris out of here now! You know where. Stay there until I come to get you."

Alex didn't speak, he nodded up at Quinn. With military precision Alex shielded me until we were safely on the elevator and away from the onlookers. I glanced up and noticed Mathew join us just as the elevator doors where closing.

"What are you doing Mathew?" I spoke up for the first time. "You coming with us is only going to make her more angry!"

Surprisingly Mathew shrugged, "I really don't care. This was the last straw with her. Nicole has clearly lost her mind."

Alex rubbed my back gently, "It's okay Paris. He's better off staying away from Nicole while she's like this. Hopefully, when she calms down she'll be more reasonable."

"I'm so sorry Paris I had no idea Nicole would flip out like that. I didn't even know she would be around at all tonight. She made it sound like after her family dinner she had other plans. Please don't hate me," Mathew pleated.

"Even if you did know Nicole was there her behavior wouldn't be your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. My friendship with you should not be this threatening to her," I tried to reassure him. Mathew looked incredibly relieved. "Thank you for keeping her away from me, both of you," I said gratefully. "I'm not sure what I would have done if Nicole had hit me."

I followed behind both to them as we stepped off of the elevator. We walked down a short hallway until we came to a pair of glass doors.

I stopped and look to Alex before walking in, "What is this place?"

Alex opened the door for me. "It the arboretum. This is our families' emergency meeting place. Quinn wanted to put you some place secure while he defused the situation and called Abe."

The room was phenomenal. Each wall was made out of glass panels that formed an upscale green house. Huge exotic trees grew in large planters that were fitted into the marble floors.

"I can see this being the last place anyone would come looking for us," I said quietly, "do you really think that he'll call Abe?"

"If Quinn wants to keep his job he will. Abe would freak out if he kept something like this from him," Alex responded.

I found a small stone bench by one of the far walls and Mathew moved to sit with me. The small light was breaking the horizon as dawn began to make it's way into the sky.

Alex paced in front of us,"I left my phone downstairs in all the commotion. I'm going use the hall phone and just update my parents."

"If you call them don't you think you're going to get Mason all upset," I insisted with a yawn, "I'm safe there is no reason to at gas to the fire."

"Mason is probably asleep, but if it were me and my girl was almost attacked I'd want to know," Alex explained.

I looked down at my hands. "Okay just be vague. I don't think I can handle another fight tonight," I pleaded glancing at Mathew.

After Alex stepped out into the hall Mathew and I sat quietly. I watched as the sun creep slowly into the sky. "Isn't it kind of strange that they would have a glass room? Doesn't it make it difficult to enjoy the plants?"

"We don't need much light to see," Mathew responded. "A lot Moroi find it dangerous to get out and enjoy nature, so we bring nature to us."

I smiled at him and shivered.

"You should have said something," Mathew pulled off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

"Thanks," I told him and pulled it closer to me, "I think I'm still in a state of shock, I didn't even realize how cold I was."

Alex popped his head back in the door, "I need to run downstairs to get my phone. Quinn is finishing up. He and Abe should be here shortly. Mathew could you stay here with Paris for a minute?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Mathew told him.

Alex frowned, "I'll be right back."

"Interesting family aren't they?" Mathew commented.

"What do you mean?" I wondered. "I think that they are an awesome family. Despite all their obstacles they make it work."

"That's what I mean, they have so many things working against them. It is incredibly rare to see an all dhampir family. Almost unheard of," Mathew tried to explain.

"Really," I said surprised, "I thought that the taboo was squashed a long time ago."

"You're right. No one really cares if dhampirs get married anymore, but it never lasts."

I frowned,"Isn't that kind of cynical."

"Unfortunately it's reality." Mathew explained, "Most dhampirs are guardians and they are almost never placed together. Can you imagine spending nine months out of the year not even in the same house as your husband? The lucky ones that get placed together usually last longer."

"I think that it would be hard not to have your own home. I don't think I would be happy following someone else around watching them live their life, have their family, and not get to have my own," I said sadly.

"Most dhampir women seem to want kids. That's why there are less and less girls that take trials every year. Sometimes even the girls that go to school all the way through don't want the tattoo."

"Can't really blame them though can you. At least they have options." I spoke optimistically. "Rose and Dimitri adopted and there has to be other advances in fertility treatments that could help couples."

Mathew couldn't meet my eyes. There was something that he didn't want to say. "What, tell me," I encouraged.

He reluctantly answered,"Adopting's hard because most unwanted or orphaned kids get put right into schools hoping to turn out more guardians. As far as I know fertility stuff doesn't work for dhampirs. I'm not really sure exactly why, but I think that it has something to do with our magic. It was never successful." Mathew put his hands up, "Really I shouldn't have told you that. I am definitely not in expert. People are coming up with advances in medicine all the time right?"

I paused mournfully, "I'll never have my own kids. The more I'm around all of this craziness I'm convinced my parents did the only sane thing and moved away. I'm going to college and make a real life for myself."

"You never know what's going to make you happy Paris." Mathew smiled, "We are all worried about what's next. At least you know that college is an option for you."

"My mom always wanted to go to college, but even though she is the smartest person I know she was never able to," I told him.

"I'm probably not going either," Mathew sighed, "you should hear my father complain about how he can't even bribe a decent school to let me in."

"You will," I told him, "I'll help you. If you get your grades up the next couple semesters and do well on the SATs there is no reason you won't get it. Plus, Paisley said that you are on a million committees. College love that crap." I punched his shoulder playfully, "If that doesn't work we can always have my dad pay them a visit. He is really good at convincing people."

"You're going to help me?" he said cautiously. "Really?"

"Yes, really. We're friends right?"

Mathew nodded and looked at me intensely.

I got up and walked over to the glass. The view of brilliant new sun over the snow covered mountain was breathtaking. My perfect bun had fallen down into ratty mess so I reached up at pulled out the pins. I shook out my now wavy hair and combed it with my fingers. I could feel Mathew walk up behind me.

"Incredible view isn't it? Does the light bother you?"

"No," he responded, "the view is amazing." Mathew leaned forward and I felt his face titled in my hair. "God you smell incredible Paris. Like lilacs and sunshine."

I was frozen in place. Suddenly my friendly chat with Mathew had become incredibly awkward. I took a step forward, placing my palms against the cold glass. "Geez what's taking them so long. Nicole must have been more out of control that we thought."

Mathew spoke from behind me, "I'm sorry Paris. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

I turned around to find a very guilty looking Mathew. "I'm with Mason," was all I could say.

"I know. He's a good guy," Mathew said firmly, "Paris you deserve a good guy, the best."

"It's not that your not a good guy Mathew. You totally are."

"A lot of people would disagree with you on that," he said looking toward the door.

"Anyone that doesn't see what a wonderful person you are is dumb," I countered.

"I think that they are more worried about my influence on you."

I laughed, "Going to turn me into a bad girl Mathew?"

He took a deep breath, like he was thinking it over. "I think they are more worried about your virtue."

The cocky smile wiped from my face. I was totally shocked by his choice of words, "That's not a phrase you hear everyday."

"Sorry, I was trying not to be crass. I'm just being honest," Mathew sighed and retreated into the room and I followed him. The sun was now beginning to shine brightly on the horizon. "I have no interest in taking advantage of you or leading you on Paris. It's important to me that you know that."

"You think that if I didn't already know that I would be spending time with you? I just don't understand why Mason is so worried about it. I'm not naive."

"Mason has his reasons and trust me I would feel the same way in his shoes." Mathew whispered, "I can't say I have always had the best intentions toward the opposite sex, but believe me when I say I want to be your friend way more than I want to get into your pants. Looking at you right now Paris, I must want to be your friend extremely badly."

I couldn't help it, I let out a loud laugh that echoed through the mostly empty space, "That's good to know."

Across the room Abe blew into the room without any warning. A battle ready Quinn followed a few steps behind. Even at the late hour Abe was still dressed to the nines and sporting a gold cane. "Paris," he said frantically wrapping his free arm around me, "are you okay? You're a tough girl, but that spoiled brat doesn't get to threaten you."

Abe released me and looked me up and down. "I'm all here Abe. Nothings broken I promise. Your warrior over there didn't even let Nicole get within spitting distance."

"O' how your mother would kill me if I let anything happen to you," Abe said taking a long relieved breath.

"Did you wake my dad?" I wondered. I was sure he would have some choice words on the situation.

"No, did you want me to?" Abe seemed surprised.

I shrugged, "Alex woke up Rose I just figured you would."

"Your father had a particularly difficult evening. You grandmother has set out to test the limits of your parents vows I'm afraid," Abe's head came up and looked poignantly at Mathew, "you will keep that bit of information to yourself."

"Yes, sir," Mathew replied immediately. I was glad he understood how important it was not to cross Abe.

"What's up with the watch dog Abe?" I motioned toward Quinn. "I don't a need shadow, I know how to take care of myself."

"Paris you have been in two altercations in the last few days forgive me if I disagree," Abe shot back. Out of the corner of my eye I watched Mathew flinch.

I put my hands on my hips and tried a different technique, "I'm not comfortable being followed. My parents quit babysitting me when I was ten."

Just as I finished my sentence Alex and Mason threw open the door and marched over to join our group. Mason looked like he rolled out of bed and put on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, but the bad ass look on his face made him look incredible. I could feel my breath quicken and my pulse start pounding as he came toward me. I knew that Abe and Mathew would notice, but I was so fixated I didn't care. Neither Alex or Mason said anything, but the tension in the room felt like a physical thing.

"This is not negotiable Paris, when you are not in your room or with Mason, Quinn will be shadowing you." Abe called my bluff, "Either that or we can call your mother and tell her the situation. Would you like to see what she suggests?"

I looked at Mason for help, but knew by his scowl I was defeated, "No we shouldn't worry her."

"Good now that is settled Mason escort Paris back to Paisley's room. She is going to sleep there today just incase Nicole or her mother decide not to heed my warning."

Mason stepped toward me and whipped Mathew's coat off of my shoulder and threw if back to him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and hauled me into his chest, "Tell me what happened."

I looked back at the group around us. I could feel the blush start to creep across my cheeks.

"Paris focus. Tell me what happened? Why did Nicole flip out?" Mason was quickly losing patience.

"We had dinner at he piano bar. About an hour ago things started winding down and Mathew, Paisley, Andrew and I were walking out. Mathew and I were chatting and stopped to let Paisley to catch up. Next thing I know Nicole is flying toward me in a fit of rage. Quinn decided to play super man and threw himself in front of me. Before I knew what was happening Alex was yanking me onto the elevator and I ended up here." I explained in my most diplomatic tone.

"Okay," Mason looked confused, "what made Nicole so angry? I've seen her tantrums before, but this sounds like it went to a whole new level."

I wasn't sure how to answer and fell silent.

"Mathew want to help me understand?" Mason said snidely not taking his hands off of me.

Mathew simply admitted,"I gave Paris a hug."

"A hug," Mason repeated the anger collecting on his face.

"He spun me around in a circle. It was a little over the top, but it was harmless," I shrugged like it was nothing.

Mason took a step back and ran both of his hands over his face, "Do I want to know why Mathew chose to do this?"

"We were celebrating," Mathew shared.

Mason turned all of his attention to Mathew and I was suddenly glad Quinn was still in the room. "Celebrating what?"

Mathew looked to me and shook my head quickly. "I think that maybe you should talk to Paris about that."

Mason tilted his head to the side, "What you two are sharing secrets now?"

"We can talk about it later Mason," I tried.

"We can talk about it now Paris," Mason replied his voice getting louder with each word.

I shivered, "This isn't the right place or time."

Mason rubbed his hands down my arms. "You're right, you're freezing."

"All right," Abe announced clapping his hands together, "Alex thank you for your help tonight we all appreciate it. Paris go with Mason have a chat. When you're finished have him take you back to Paisley's room. If you go anywhere else without Quinn or Mason I am not going to be happy. If you choose to go awol my first call will be your mother, understand?"

I nodded and folded my arms in across my chest defensively.

"Take his card," Abe said handing me a small business card with a phone number printed on one side, "you will call Quinn when you leave your room in the morning. Mathew hang on a few minutes we need to chat about how you are going to start handing Nicole."

We were officially dismissed. I gave Mathew a small wave and took off walking out of the arboretum. Mason and Alex tailed behind me.

"Listen I'm going to stay in Peter's room and sleep this morning. Go back to our room and talk it out," Alex offered and gave me a tight hug. "Be careful hugging you seems to throw people into a fit of jealous rage," Alex joked. I smacked his shoulder and shook my head.

"What too soon to joke?" Alex winked.

Mason excused him, "Good night Alex." With a little wave he took off in one of the elevators.

Mason and I waited for an empty elevator, but didn't speak the rest of the way to his room. I sent Paisley a quick call to thank her and tell her I would be in her room shortly. She winked and suggested I stay the night with Mason, but she couldn't see him. Mason was sulking. He had his arms crossed on his chest and kept shaking his head. I felt like a naughty child about to receive my punishment. Despite our collective bad moods I followed Mason through the halls of the resort and back to his room.

Mason took his time and held the door open politely for me. I knew it was coming, I could fell his Mason's fury building behind me as he softly shut the door.

"Paris look at me," he begged and I whipped around to face his anger. Before I knew what was happening Mason came toward me lifted me and wrapped my legs around his waist. My shoes fell to the floor as I tried desperately to hold on. He pushed me harshly against the far wall of the room and kissed me frantically. It was a brutal punishing kiss that with had me grabbing and pulling at him for more. My hands found and pulled his hair as Mason kissed and nipped at first my lips and then my ear.

"Paris didn't we just have a discussion about this?" Mason asked softly kissing his way down my neck.

I took a deep breath and forced the words out of my throat, "A discussion about what? Right now my brain has switched onto autopilot."

Mason's hands moved to my butt and ground down between my legs with his hips. "About why you need to stay away from Zelkos."

I let out a gasp feeling his arousal tucked between my legs, "Are you trying to make some kind of point Mason."

Suddenly I was flying backward and landed on Mason's bed with a bounce, never leaving his arms. "I was scared tonight Paris. Alex called me frantic. Told me Nicole had lost it, you don't understand what level of crazy you are dealing with here."

"I saw first hand tonight," I told him looking into his chocolate eyes. He looked so sincere. "What did you tell Mathew that had him so happy he was throwing you in the air?"

"Truthfully," I asked and he gave me a stiff nod.

"I told him I was strongly considering my grandmother's proposal. She wants switch schools and go to St. Vlad's next year."

Mason lifted off of me completely stunned. "Why would you do that? It's not like they could have you ready for trials in one year. I would be a disaster."

I flinched feeling his disapproval, "No one was suggesting that. They all just want me to have a chance to be around other dhampir's and Moroi. As my grandmother put it, they want me to absorb the culture. Surprisingly even my father seems on board with it."

Mason took a second and slowly explained, "It's not a good idea Paris. You deserve better than that place. Don't you need to finish your last year of high school?"

I was having a hard time following the conversation with the weigh of Mason on top of me. "I'm not going back next year. If I don't go to St. Vlad's I'm going to start college a year early."

"Don't you have to apply and be excepted to those places," Mason asked uncomfortably. "Can you tell me why Mathew knows about all this and I don't?"

"The only reason Mathew knows is because my grandmother shanghaied him into that ridiculous tea the first day I met her." I ran my fingers through his perfectly unruly hair and I explained, "She decided to use poor Mathew as an example of all the dumb people I could benefit at St. Vlad's. It was totally humiliating for him."

My information seemed to pacify Mason temporarily and he resumed gently kissing me.

A few minutes or hours later he leaned up on his elbow and titled his head, "Why didn't you ask me about this sooner? You talked to Mathew about it."

"I don't want him. I want you," I said simply. "It doesn't matter what we talked about, you are the only one I want to be with."

Something in my words set Mason off. He began kissing me with a new determination. His hands found my breast and I arched up into his touch. I was intoxicated by the feeling of him caressing and stroking me in places no one had ever touched before. Mason had me feeling wild and yearning toward a release I had never felt. It was overwhelming and insane, but in the end Mason took care of me.

Mason laid down next to me and pulled me tightly into the crook arm. "I'm sorry if that was too much, I just couldn't stop myself," he revealed. Mason soothingly ran the tips of his fingers down my face and into my into my now crazy hair.

"It wasn't too much Mason," I answered dreamily, "it was just enough."


	13. Dating Mason

I had always heard the old adage, you learn something new everyday, but I had never put too much thought into it. As I sat across the table watching my grandmother sipping her Camille tea I could give you several examples of things that I had already learned today.

When I woke up this morning completely disoriented and having no idea where I was, I learned that the only thing worse than doing the walk of shame, was doing with an audience.

Waking up to Alex bent over Mason's bed gently shaking me was pretty embarrassing. Finding out that Quinn was standing outside the room waiting for me was worse. The last thing I remembered from the night before was laying down tucked into Mason's arm. He turned the television on and I laid with him quietly. This was my big mistake. The rational part of my brain told me this was the time to leave, but my heart, or probably more correctly my hormones, wouldn't let me. The startling reality that my time with Mason was quickly coming to an end had caused me to make a silly mistake.

Alex didn't seem horrified or even surprised to find me in his room. He woke me up and helped me climb out of bed. The normally battle ready Mason didn't even stir as I untangled our intertwined limbs. At some point during our slumber Mason removed his shirt and covered us with blankets. The vision of him shirtless and peacefully sleeping was one I hated to leave behind.

I found my shoes still against the wall where they had dropped from my feet earlier in the morning. Quinn was waiting with a surprising amount of patience just outside of the door. My face practically caught on fire with embarrassment when I saw him. He escorted me to the elevator and back to my room without a word.

Secondly, I had learned this morning that my grandmother was unquestionably punctual. Despite returning to my room much later than I had originally planned, I jumped in a quick shower. My grandmother's blood hound nose would have immediately picked up on not only the cigarette smoke from the bar, but Mason's amazing sent that she found so offensive.

Setting a land speed record for dressing I was still running uncharacteristically late. Even over the noise of my blow drier I could hear the pounding of my grandmother's arrival on my door. After what seemed like an over critical inspection and one small wardrobe change we left for our breakfast. My grandmother practically hissed at the sight of Quinn following behind us. I was relieved that she didn't speak to him.

I was frustrated to hear that not only was my father not eating with us, but this would not be a friendly family brunch. We were attending a fancy fund raiser for a children's hospital. Normally I would be onboard for any kind of fund raiser, especially one that would benefit sick kids, but over privileged over Botoxed women were not my scene. My grandmother told me that she was currently on the board of this particular event and that was how she was able to get me a ticket. I knew it sounded ungrateful, but I was kind of disappointed that they hadn't been sold out.

We were seated at a round table that could comfortably sit twelve people, but was sat for only eight. I immediately recognized Mathew's mother, Christiana, and to my great relief Jill was seated next to a younger woman that bore a shocking resemblance to Mathew. Jill seemed shocked and a bit concerned to see me, but gave me a small smile. Three older women in stiff suits completed the table. Paisley and her mother were painfully absent from the excessively full room.

Thirdly, this morning I learned that a fund raiser for socialite woman doubled as a fashion show.

Women were clearly trying to make a statement about their wealth with their wardrobe. If they could have worn their clothes inside out so the labels were showing they would have. I just hoped the checks they were writing matched the price tags of their handbags.

As a shoe lover myself the assortment of fantastic over the top shoes everywhere was fabulous. Probably due to the time of year, most women were wearing pumps or stilettos but, they were all incredible. No one wore a flat or conservative heal, even the oldest attendees tottered around gracefully on three inch heals. Each sparkle or artfully placed strap spoke to the quality and price tag being displayed.

Most of the women wore some form of a formal suit, but some of the younger women attempted more fashionable dresses. Everyones hair and makeup was bold and classically styled. My flash dried hair and lip gloss could never measure up to the overly fluffed and highly painted attendees. I felt incredibly inadequate.

Jill was displaying her fashion forward style that I had always envied. She wore an ice blue sheath dress with a corded belt. The back of the dress had a dangerously low cut that stood out as bold and trendy. Jill was able to flatter her very thin frame and carry it off flawlessly.

I was glad that I had taken my grandmother's advice and changed into my pale grey Burberry suit instead of the slacks I had originally chosen. I wasn't even sure why my mother had packed it. The suit had a modern cut that made me look mature and smart. My mother talked me into splurging on it because she thought it would be perfect for college interviews.

To my great shock and delight my grandmother had presented me with a gorgeous pair of deep green emerald ears this morning. The large emeralds were set with a ring of equally impressive diamonds. They were stunning. I tried to decline them because of their obvious value, but she was insistent. The earrings were apparently part of the Ivashkov estate left by my grandfather. I found it strange that I was being given jewelry from a man's estate that wouldn't even acknowledge my existence.

Lastly, I learned that every grandparent had the right to brag about the accomplishments of their grandchildren. Never having anyone ,but my suragate grandparent Abe, I had never experienced this before. Everyone loved to talk about how cute or smart their children were. This wasn't a bad thing, it felt good to accepted by my grandmother. I however, didn't enjoy being the one bragged about.

Each person that came to congratulate my grandmother on the success of her event was given a full list of my personal accomplishments and aspirations. Most of the women seemed impressed and happy to meet me, but I definitely received a few strange looks. I also got several compliments on my earrings from wide eyed strangers. I tried to keep a smile on my face and attempted to nod along to the conversation. Not only was it strange to have people discussing my personal attributes, but they were doing it right in front of me. I was genuinely pleased my grandmother was finally taking an interest in her family, but I was feeling uneasy and overexposed.

Here I sat, after a rushed and unexpected morning with a table of almost complete strangers.

"Paris darling it's so nice to see you again," Christiana cooed from across the round table, "this is my niece Alyssa. She's a sophomore at Princeton."

"Pleasure to meet you," I lied to Alyssa. She was unusually beautiful, looking very different from most of the women in the room. Her long brown hair and her gloss brown eyes gave her a natural beauty. Strangely her face and build was oddly similar to Mathew. It was easy to see that she was a Zelkos.

"I didn't know you were vacationing this week," my grandmother commented," I would have introduced you sooner. Paris is considering Princeton for the fall."

Alyssa beamed at my grandmother, "I just flew in last night. My mother likes to spend New Year's Eve here and I don't have to be back to school for a few more weeks. There were no private flights from court so we had to fly commercially. It was a nightmare." Each person at the table nodded along in horror. Jill looked at me and dramatically rolled her eyes. "If you are planning to visit Princeton I would be happy to give you a tour. We have a great group there, we try our best to stay separate from the humans."

I tried to disguise the horror I was feeling. "That's very sweet of you, I'll keep that in mind."

"I thought Mathew said you were considering Saint Vlad's for next year," Christiana spoke up.

Both Jill and my grandmother's eyes flashed immediately to me. "I have been going back and forth," I said noncommittally.

"Really, I hadn't heard that," Jill spoke up for the first time. I was surprised that my father had been able to keep that bit of information to himself.

I shrugged, "It's just an idea that I have been tossing around."

"Her father doesn't want her to feel pressured," my grandmother said pitching her hair over her shoulder and looked directly at JiIl," but, I think its a wonderful idea. Don't you think it would be a fantastic opportunity for her?"

"I think that Paris is a smart girl and she will make a decision based on what's best for her," Jill told my grandmother diplomatically. but not taking her eyes off of me.

"I can't think of a better place for her," Christiana joined in. "You have already made so many friends that go to school there. It would be a perfect fit for you. Will the colleges let you defer for a year?"

My grandmother smirked at her obvious ally.

I nodded, "As long as my GPA stays the same I shouldn't have a problem deferring."

"Well, if you are considering Saint Vlad's you have to come to the luau tonight. It is going to be a blast," Alyssa added quickly. She was apparently losing patience with the direction of the conversation.

I frowned having no idea what Alyssa was talking about.

"That is a great idea," Jill added finally receiving a small smile from my grandmother. "Every year the St. Vlad alumni throw a huge luau. Everyone that ever attended and all the current students go. It's kind of a big deal, they spare no expense. Your dad was talking about going earlier in the week, and Eddie and I always go."

"Mathew and I are definitely going," Alyssa agreed and added, "we will introduce you to everyone."

As the food was served to our table my grandmother leaned over and spoke quietly in my ear, "I would be very pleased if you would attend. I think that you would enjoy yourself." I nodded and smiled. After everything she was trying to do to help me I could do this for her. It seemed that she thought that she was genuinely helping me. It also sounded like it might be fun and I vaguely remembered Rose saying something about wanting Mason there.

After a few speakers and a silent auction the function started to wind down. With a stiff hug my grandmother excused me. I was starting to feel the tide changing when it came to her. My apprehensive nature was being broken down and it felt good to have her in my corner.

I tried for a quick escape, but before I could reach the door I ran right into Alyssa. "Leaving already," she joked. I nodded enthusiastically. "I can't blame you, this is one of more boring events," Alyssa continued, "we need to get a few drinks in you next time, it will help you relax. I like your suit, Burberry is very classic."

I smiled and took another step toward the door.

"Hey Paris before you go, can I give you a little friendly advice."

I gave her a confused look, "Sure."

"I saw Mathew earlier. He met us when we arrived, which was strange because it was way too early for him to be awake." Alyssa waved her hand in front of her face dismissively, "Anyway, he couldn't stop talking about you. Seems that you have made quite an impression on him."

"Are you worried that I'm leading him on?" I asked innocently.

Alyssa busted out laughing and I was very confused.

"No, Mathew is good at bouncing back. He does it often and with no shortage of partners," Alyssa tone became abruptly serious, "it's just that he mentioned your confrontation last night with Nicole Badinca."

"It was something," I told her. I could feel my eyes widening at the memory.

Alyssa took a step toward me. "Just be careful Paris. Nicole is a very determined individual and she's not used to the word no. I know Mathew told her that things were over between them, but she will just see it as a challenge. You don't want to be caught in the crossfire. Trust me on this, your grandmother is trying very hard to get you excepted in our inner circle and Nicole will find a way to ruin it. If I were you I would take a step back. Mathew is a great catch, but not worth Nicole's wrath."

"I understand," I said surprised at how friendly and accepting she seemed. "It was nice to meet you. Thanks for the advice. I'll see you at the luau."

I turned and walked out the door. I took a few steps down the hall, stopped, and leaned back against the wall. Feeling a bit defeated I covered my face with my hands.

"It couldn't have been that bad," I heard in a familiar thick Irish accent, "I know you're tougher then you give yourself credit for. Stick and stones and all that."

I shrugged my shoulders still unable to met his eyes.

"You don't need to be embarrassed Paris. I'm supposed to protect you, help you, but my job is not to judge you." Quinn smiled endearingly. "I'm glad if you wanted to spend the night with someone you picked Mason. I know you're safe with him."

"What did Abe think about it?" I tried to bait him.

"Abe?" Quinn repeated.

I finally looked up at him challengingly, "Yeah, didn't you call and tell on us? Isn't that your job, to report my every move?"

"No," he looked a little insulted, "I did not sign on to be the nark, just the babysitter."

I was so stunned the words just came out, "Just because I spent the night in his room doesn't mean I slept with him. I mean I'm not a slutty girl. I'm sure after Nicole's show you must think I jump from bed to bed."

He put his arms up in surrender, "Really I don't, but it doesn't matter if you do. I'm not here to judge you" Quinn repeated. "Abe just wants you to be safe. Although, after seeing you working with Mason yesterday I'm convinced you could take care of yourself."

"I'm not sure about that. Last night Nicole would have probably chewed me up and spit me out if you hadn't been there. It felt so out of control."

Quinn nodded, "I could see how it felt that way. It's amazing how someone as accomplished as you turns into a marshmallow at the idea of standing up for herself."

"Hey, I'm not a push over." I challenged him again. "I've just never been hated by someone for no reason. I never did anything to Nicole. There is no reason for her to attack me. I only have a few more days here and I want to spend them with Mason, not Mathew."

"That's what you should have told her," Quinn said firmly. "You should never let anyone make you feel small. Nicole is so threatened by you that she has a single minded mission to keep you away from Mathew."

I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding, "You're right. Thanks Quinn I needed that pep talk."

"Good," he smiled broadly, "and if you want anymore training time while we are here I'll be happy to spar with you. Mason's good, but I'm great."

"I bet you are," I teased and walk toward my room. My suit looked great, but I felt more in the mood for some sweat pants.

After promising Quinn I would call him I retreated into the safe haven of my room. I found a thick manila envelop had been slid underneath my door with a packet of music and information about where I could practice. In all of my drama I had almost forgotten my promise to Eddie.

I quickly stripped into nothing but my fluffy hotel robe and flopped onto my bed. I tried to close my eyes and relax, but I was too jittery. The phone on my nightstand had a small flashing light. I picked it up and smiled.

**Mason**: Hey sweetie what are you up to?

**Paris**: Laying in bed :) You?

Hey, I was telling him the truth.

**Mason**: Walking out of the gym right now. Missed having you here with me.

**Mason**: I think I'm a little mad at you for climbing out of my bed without waking me.

**Paris**: Are you joking? You almost got me in a ton of trouble. Not to mention how incredibly embarrassing it was to have Alex find us.

**Mason**: He's a big boy, one of these days he'll have a girl in his bed too. I couldn't wake you up. You were sleeping so peacefully.

**Paris**: Ever heard of an alarm clock? I did sleep well.

**Mason**: You are incredibly beautiful when you sleep, particularly so in my arms.

**Paris**: You plan our date yet? I'm excited.

**Mason**: Yes I will be picking you up at 11 so you better be ready!

**Paris**: What are we doing?

**Mason**: If I told you that it would ruin the surprise.

**Paris**: Should I wear jeans or a dress?

**Mason**: jeans

**Paris**: Okay :)

**Paris**: I'm getting a lot of pressure to go to the luau later, are you planning on going?

**Mason**: Really from who, I'll deal with them. My parents really want me to go, it's kind of tradition for our family but, I'm not sure I'm ready to let anyone else see you in a bathing suit.

**Paris**: You're hilarious. Okay, I'll see you at 11. You picking me up?

**Mason**: It's a date right? Do you think your Dad will make me have you home early :)

**Paris**: I think that we may be past that stage after last night. :/

**Paris**: Got to go, I'm very in demand these days. Can't wait to see you.

**Mason**: Bye Angel.

A big stupid smile split across my face. For having such a tough outer shell Mason could be an incredibly sweet guy. The clock told me that it was quarter to eight and if I hurried I could spend a little time practicing Eddie's piano piece and be back in time to meet Mason. The suspense of our date had me anxious with anticipation. I carefully removed my new earrings and placed them securely in the room's safe. I wasn't taking any chances.

After giving Quinn a call and filling him on the details of my evening I set out to find a kick ass outfit. I dug out my tightest cutest jeans and after rummaging through the remainder of my clothes found a sparkly red halter top and a matching sweater that hugged me in all the right places. I touched up my make up being careful not to over do it and pulled out a killer pair of brown boots that zipped most of the way to my knees. They had a decent heel that had me hoping that I wouldn't have to work so hard to meet Mason eyes tonight.

My outfit looked good, but I wanted to be perfect for Mason. This was a sort of special occasion for both of us. I felt a small sadness for Mason, he didn't have the freedom to date normally, and probably never would. I had the freedom, but could never enjoy it.

Quinn met me and helped me find the room my packet had indicated I was free to use. The piano was a beautiful baby grand that was tuned to perfection. The sheet music I had been given was only ten pages long. The melody was soft and romantic. The key was written too low for me to sing the words, but the I was more than capable of playing the music. I was just hoping that I could hold it together and not be the one getting emotional during Jill's special moment.

It turned out to be great having Quinn with me. I was incredibly impressed how quickly he found the room even though he admitted never being there before. I only had to play through the music a couple of times, but Quinn turned the pages for me without complain.

I had to force myself to walk back to my room. I was so excited to see Mason it was written all over my face. When he knocked on the door I threw it open.

Mason stood before me a little bit shocked by my exuberance, but with a rare genuine smile. "Wow," he said looking me over, "this is for you." He handed me a spectacular single red rose. With his free arm he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me toward him. My arms went to his chest. I took a quick sniff of the rose and looked up to meet his eyes.

Just as I felt the familiar pull of Mason's delectable kisses I heard my father's voice echo down the hallway, "Hey kids." Mason jumped back away from me like I had suddenly caught on fire.

"Hi Dad," I said laughing softly at Mason.

"I have had two phone calls and message on my cell phone from your grandmother asking me to make sure I take you to the luau tonight Paris," Dad told me annoyed, "I hope that was part of your plans for this evening."

I looked over to Mason for direction. I had never seen him blush, but his face was an unexpected bright red. "My mother is adamant that I go also," he responded quietly. I just nodded noncommittally.

"Good," my father responded relieved, "I don't want you to go without me Paris, even if you have Mason or Quinn with you, wait in the room for me."

"Okay," I said questioningly.

"I'll meet you here around four? What are you two up to?" Dad asked glancing at the flower in my hand.

I stared at him confused, "Sure, no problem. Umm I'm not sure, what are we up to?"

"It's a surprise," Mason said without conviction.

We all stood in the hallway for a minute in uncomfortable silence. I took another sniff of my rose. My father flashed me a huge smile and walked into his room.

When he was out of sight I threw my arms around Mason's neck and gave him a fast kiss. "I love how you get all flustered around my dad."

Mason was caught off guard by my kiss, but turned and followed me into my room. "I do not get flustered," he said putting his hands on his hips and frowning.

I put the rose in a small glass on the my nightstand and returned his attitude, "Yes you do. Every time my dad finds us together you either get all quiet or start stuttering. Are you embarrassed?"

Mason's face went blank and things suddenly felt very serious, "Are you joking Paris? I wish I could lock you away and keep you mine forever. If you were truly my girl I would tell everyone. I would text it, tweet it, and facebook blast the world. It just feels strange when someone invades our private time. I let my guard down with you. No one sees me the way I am with you and I feel exposed."

"You should show everyone this sweet wonderful Mason," I told him softly, "because they are really missing out."

Mason gave me a sad smile and reached over taking my hand, "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

He looked down at my feet, "Um weird question, are you wearing socks?"

"Socks? Yeah."

"Let's go," Mason said leading me out the door. We took the elevator down to the basement floor and walked down a dark hallway. A strange rumble and crashing sound got louder as we got closer to our destination.

When we entered the room I was surprised to see a small bowling alley with colored lights flashing around the room. It appeared to be decorated with a disco theme and had a small resturant with a bar. The colors rotated around the bustling room and music played loudly. People were eating, talking, and taking turns knocking down pins. Mason pulled me with him up to a counter to first get our lane number and then some bowling shoes. It was a good thing he had made reservations it seemed like a popular place.

"This was a great idea Mason," I said happily.

He didn't seem convinced. "Really, I mean bowling is something that normal people would do on a date right?"

"Yes, and bowling shoes are a great way to break the ice," I said pulling off my long boot.

Mason laughed and picked up a ball to test out its weight. "Have you ever done this before?"

"Yea a few times. I'm not great at it though," I admitted. "Have you?"

Mason picked up another ball and smirked, "Nope, but I've always wanted to. Should we make a little wager?"

"What kind of wager?" I asked apprehensively.

"Well, lets see," Mason said slowly, "if I win you don't wear a bathing suit at the luau."

"How exactly am I supposed to go swimming?"

Mason shrugged, "Okay, wear a one piece that covers a lot."

I couldn't hold in the bubble of laughter that erupted from me. I had to tease him, "I didn't bring a one piece all I brought were bikinis. Don't you want to see me in a bikini?"

Mason's eyes got big and he walked over to me speaking quietly "Yes, I want to see you in a bikini. I want to see you just the way I saw you last night over and over. But, I don't want anyone else to see you that way."

Maybe I was crazy, but I liked this over protective streak Mason was having.

I bit my lower lip and took a deep breath, "You are the only one that gets to touch me."

Mason nodded seriously and leaned toward me with a devious smile, "That's right. How about if I win you spend the night with me again tonight. Before you argue with me, don't you think that it's worth getting caught for. We only have tonight and tomorrow before I have to go back to school. I'd like to take some good memories with me."

"You just want to sleep?" I asked him tentatively.

Mason tilted his head toward me, "Yes, I just want to hold you again. I have never slept so well before."

"Okay, but if we get caught I'm going to blame it on you. If I win I want you go dancing with me tomorrow night," I countered, "and I want you to kiss me at midnight."

"The kissing definitely, but dancing?" Mason said seriously, "I'm not a great dancer."

"Yup that's how I want to start my new year. I love dancing," I told him boldly.

"I guess I better win then," Mason stated raising his eyebrow at me.

After kicking Mason's butt on our first game a waitress came over and we ordered a pizza and soda. It was relaxed and fun without any pressure. By the end of the second game Mason and I were tied and the food had arrived. The large pizza almost completely covered the small table, but Mason acted like that was completely normal.

"You better not get distracted this last set or you are going to have to bust a move," I teased him and tugged obviously on the hem of my shirt to accentuate my cleavage.

Mason laughed loudly into a napkin.

"You have a great laugh," I admitted finishing off my second piece of pizza, "I wish I heard it more."

Mason stopped and looked over at me still holding his pizza midair, "Why, I mean most people aren't funny they're just arrogant."

"Silly Mason don't be so cynical," I shook my head and continued, "I just mean it's refreshing to see you having a good time, and letting go a little. It has to be exhausting to be the serious one all the time."

"It can be." He agreed, "What about you? For someone that claims to not like dating, you seem to be having fun."

"I am, this was a good idea." I told him.

"Eat up you're going to need all of your strength to beat me," Mason joked.

The last game went by very quickly. We heckled and teased each other the whole time. Every time I got a strike or a spare I did a little happy dance. Mason tried to distract me serval times by tickling me or teasing me. I did my best to distract Mason, but he remained very focused. Sportsmanship was not a factor in our game.

Rolling my final spare of the game I knew I had him. The defeated look on Mason's face took the joy out of my victory.

"What kind of dancing did I sign up for," Mason grumbled.

"Never mind Mason, I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to," I stomped over to my boots and removed my rented shoes. I grabbed my purse and quietly returned them to a man spraying disinfectant.

"Hold up," Mason called from behind me. I continued out the doors not pausing to wait for him.

I felt a hand gently grab my arm causing me to stop. "Hey a bets a bet Paris. I'm not backing down," Mason said running his hand up my arm and brushing my hair back off my shoulder. "You should know that I wouldn't make a fool out of myself for just anyone."

"Are you sure?" I asked seriously and tried to be patient.

Mason nodded silently and kissed me sweetly on the cheek. "Now lets get you back to your room or we'll never make it to the luau."

I grabbed his hand and let him lead me back to my room. Now that it was quiet enough to chat Mason asked me questions about earlier in the day. He seemed impressed when I told him that I had managed to work in time to practice Eddie's song. I told him how impressed I was with my grandmother and how she had given me the beautiful earrings. It felt good to have someone listen to me and I realized how much I had come to depend on his companionship.

When we returned to my room he turned toward me and looked into my eyes, "Thank you Paris, this was very special. You are very special."

"Why?" I said softly.

"Why are you special?" he repeated. His handsome face contorted in confusion.

I nodded giving small frown.

"Everything about you is unexpected and wonderful. You are honest and kind to everyone, even Nicole which is an act of sainthood. One minute you're speaking Chinese and the next you are sweet and wonderful with Abe," Mason said honestly and ran both hands down my arms finally stopping at my waist, "I love how humble and mature you seem to be. It is incredibly refreshing. Should I continue? I could keep going."

I couldn't meet his eyes and I didn't respond.

Mason leaned over and placed a soft slightly open mouthed kiss on my lips. The whole moment felt incredibly romantic. He pulled away and I stepped toward him seeking the physical connection.

"I have to go." I heard Mason whine for the first time, "If I stay I won't be able to make myself leave."

"Don't you want to know why I think you're special?" I whispered.

"I would never question that Paris." Mason looked adoringly at me and I felt as special as he told me I was. "I'll just thank God you do."

_**Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. If you are enjoying what you're reading or have an idea please, please send me a comment. I love them!**_


	14. Let Me Help You Forget

I walked into my room with a feeling oddly empty. There was this hollow feeling that I could only describe as emotionally exhausted. After a romantic date with Mason, I should be glowing with happiness. He did everything textbook perfectly. What was wrong with me?

I busied myself by pulling out all of my bathing suits and making a mental pro con list for each one. It appeared that my mother thought I would be swimming everyday with the eight bathing suits I had to choose from.

I changed into a deep emerald green bikini with a sparkly appliqué in center of the top. The straps came up behind my neck in a halter style gave me some much needed support. The bottoms tied on the sides of my legs so I could make it fit and flatter my butt. I found a cool romper style cover up and brushed my hair. I had to admit I looked pretty good. It should have made me feel better but, it didn't.

Sitting on the far corner of my bed, I stared at the digital clock that sat on the top of the television. This whole vacation I was going through the motions. I met with people, went to meals, and did my best to fit into this foreign world. Mason was the only guy I had ever met to make me feel free to be myself and he was about to slip away from me.

Five minutes into my sulking Paisley busted down my door. She was having what could only be described as a tantrum about her wardrobe.

Paisley was frantically chatting and flittering around my room. She seemed terribly nervous about going to the luau. I had never seen her so insecure. After deciding that the stash of bathing suits that her father had approved of wasn't working for her, Paisley made her way to my room. I let her try on a few of my bathing suits, but desperation was starting to take over.

"You don't understand Paris,"she told me sadly, "every time I put a bathing suit on I feel like a twelve year old."

"I think that you look fine," I said honestly and much less enthusiastically then she was looking for. Paisley was currently wearing my bright orange one piece bathing suit. It had cut outs on the sides and a band down the middle connecting the bottoms. It was one of my favorites and it almost gave the allusion that her hips had curves.

"I don't want to look fine," Paisley told me as she looked disgustingly at herself in the mirror. "I want to walk in there and feel good about myself. Haven't you ever needed to feel that way?"

"Is this about Andrew?" I wondered, "Because I think he is very happy with what he's seen."

"No, not really. He has definitely seen me in less," Paisley confessed with a wicked grin. "Everyone from school is going to be there and I know they are all going judging me and wondering what Andrew's doing with me."

My mouth flew open, "Paisley you have got to be kidding. You're gorgeous!"

Paisley gave me a slow sad smile, "Everyone wants what they don't have right? I mean people tell me all the time that they love my red hair, but if they had it they'd hate it just like me. Girls with curly hair spend forever with straightening irons. Curvy girls want to be skinny. Skinny girls want boobs and a butt."

I nodded, "The grass is always greener right."

"Something like that," Paisley stared down at her feet,"What if Andrew decides that I'm not what he wants anymore?"

"Paisley," I stopped her, "what you don't understand is that Andrew doesn't wish you were different. I don't wish you were different. People don't look at you and see your insecurities. They love you for the beautiful vibrate person you are."

"That's a pretty rosy view on things don't you think? Everyone has their opinion and lets face it girls can be mean. I think one of the reasons Nicole hates you so much is she can't find enough wrong with you. She doesn't have anything she taunt you with."

"No, you're right, girls can be down right horrible," I agreed. "and there are plenty of things she could find to needle me with. But, the real reason that Nicole can't get to me is that I won't let her. Nicole can say or think whatever she wants and I won't react. That's the attitude you have to have. It's surprisingly freeing."

Paisley tilted her head and frowned, "Okay, if you are Miss. Zen goddess, why are you sad tonight?"

I shrugged not meeting her eyes. "I guess it just kind of hit me today how much I'm going to miss everyone. I had this wonderful perfect night with Mason and in a couple of days it will be as if he never existed." I could feel my eyes getting heavy with moisture, but I fought it away by blinking. When did I become this silly girl that cries over boys?

"Well," Paisley said sitting next to me on the bed and laying her head on my shoulder, "you don't have to forget I existed. We both have phones and computers. There is no reason we can't stay in touch. Talk to Mason, I bet he's feeling the same way you are. Even if you can't have a typical relationship you could still stay in touch. I think it would be awesome if you came for trials, lots of people do. Mason would probably love that."

I let out a long drawn out sigh, "I hope so. Now lets find you something to wear."

Paisley jumped up, "Yes please!"

I frowned. "How come you don't like any of the suits you brought?"

Paisley sighed loudly,"My father is the only conservative Moroi out there. He wants me to be his little girl forever."

"That's kind of sweet," I shrugged.

"Says the girl who's father is much more reasonable," Paisley pointed out and went back to digging through the pile on my bed.

Paisley's comment woke me up and I refocused my funk. Set out determined to help her, I remembered a bathing suit I hadn't pulled out. The top was getting too small so I hadn't even considered wearing it.

Paisley looked great in it and I told her so. The ski blue triangle topped two piece had thin straps and loose fabric that draped just above her belly button. The open back and boy short bottoms helped to emphasize all the right parts. We had done some excellent work.

"Wow, I love this one Paris," Paisley squeaked.

I smiled genuinely happy to have helped her, "I'm glad, keep it. I think it's a little too small on me."

"No way," Paisley said surprised. "I saw the label. It must have cost a fortune."

"It doesn't cover the ladies," I confessed waving my hands across my chest, "I'm never going to wear it again."

"I wish I had your problems," Paisley said trying to joke, but I could tell it was a sore subject for her.

Twenty minutes later Paisley had reapplied both her and my make up with a water proof version and dried her hair, which seemed like a waste of time to me.

My father knocked on the adjoining room and let himself in. "Hey girls," he said with a big smile for Paisley."Ready to go party it up?" His bright yellow Nautica board shorts and matching teeshirt made me smile. My mother was always dressing him in bright colors to make him look less pale.

I laughed, "Just what every girl wants to do, party with their dad."

"Hey at least it's your dad and not mine," Paisley added with a serious face, "he doesn't even know what a party is."

"Your dad used to know how to party," my dad told us with a wink, "he didn't get all straight laced and serious until he met your mom."

This was news to me. "I didn't realize you knew Paisley's dad."

"Sure we went to school together for years." Dad admitted and walked toward the door. "You going to walk down with us Paisley?"

"I need to run back to my room for a second, I'll meet you there." Paisley explained and headed down the hall in the direction of her room.

"You all right Paris?" my father asked as we stopped at the elevators, "You seem very tense."

"Sure, everything is fine," I lied and forced my shoulders to relax.

Dad frowned and asked hesitantly, "Does this have anything to do with Mason?"

I shook my head.

He tried again, "Mathew?"

I rolled my eyes clearly annoyed, "When did you start thinking that I had become one of those dumb girls whose emotions are ruled by boys?"

Dad laughed, "Paris, every sixteen year old girl's emotions are ruled by boys. You have just been slow on the uptake."

"Nope sorry to disappoint you, no boy problems," I finally looked up to meet his eyes, "but if I'm being honest I'm sort of uncomfortable going to this shin dig. It's not my school."

"That doesn't matter," he told me patiently, "it's not mine either, really. That didn't stop them from asking me for a donation."

"They asked you for money?" I asked taken aback, "Did you give it to them?"

"Sure," Dad smiled at me as we stepped off the elevator and into a very humid hallway, "I'm always up for a good party. Besides I would do anything to make sure you had a good time. That's what this is about Paris, no drama or silly games. Have fun okay?"

"Absolutely," I immediately agreed.

Stopping in front of the locker room doors I gave him a huge smile, "Thanks dad."

"I don't expect you to stay with me or anything you're not six, but I'm here if you need me. No one puts their hands on you Paris," he said in a very no nonsense tone. It was a tone he only used when he meant business. "Find a locker and get settled. There is a door inside that leads directly to the pool."

I nodded and entered the locker room. This was unlike any locker room I had ever seen. The walls were painted a girly bright pink color and each of the rows of lockers had an electronic key code built in. As I pulled off my flip flops I realized that the tile floors were warm, like they were heated. I poked my head around to find a room of showers well equipped with spa products, fluffy towels, and plush robes. This place was crazy.

"Paris?" I turned around to find Alyssa Zelkos giving me an indulgent smile. She was wearing a minuscule black string bikini that was only held up by a few thin black strings. "What are you doing?"

"O' I'm just looking around," I said with a shrug.

Alyssa shook her head at me, "Well hurry up. Mathew saw your dad come out and has been pacing around waiting for you. He even bribed me to come drag you out."

I put my hands on my hips and gave her a disbelieving look, "Didn't you give me advice just a couple of hours ago to stay away from your cousin?"

Alyssa laughed and shook her head at me again, "I did, and you probably should. However, Mathew is being terribly insistent and I do have a soft spot for my only cousin."

"Silly Mathew," I agreed, "he has a way of getting under your skin doesn't he?" I ran my fingers nervously through my long hair. It hung down covering my chest.

I stripped out of my cover up and locked up my phone and wallet. Just as Alyssa and I were on our way out we literally ran right into Rose. "Hey Paris," she said with a smile, but gave Alyssa a strange glance.

"Hey Rose," I responded with a little wave.

Alyssa and I attracted a lot of attention walking into the party together. There seemed to be a buzz in the room that felt directed toward us. A rosy faced man handed me a bright pink flowered lei. I fingered the soft pedals and pulled it around my neck. I had never seen one before that wasn't plastic. The room was decorated with a large tiki bar and round tiki style bar tables. Large floral displays created dividers for privacy between the different pools. Several small and large hot tubs lined the walls. A sound track of chirping birds and water falls played softy.

One Olympic size swimming pool sat in the middle of the huge room. Most of the younger people seemed gather in and around it. Paisley sat with her feet dangling on the side on the pool. She flashed me huge smile and a small wave.

"Come over here," Alyssa ordered, "there some people you need to meet." I followed her, but scanned the room for my father and Mason.

I immediately recognized many of the faces. Several different clicks gathered around the different sides of the pool, but the majority of the eyes were on us.

Paisley stood up and came toward us as we walked to the edge of the huge pool. "Hey Paris, you look like a mermaid with your hair down like that," she smiled. She still didn't have one hair out of place.

"You know Paisley?" Alyssa asked me.

Women in teeny tiny polka dot bikinis passed tulip shaped drinks around with colorful umbrellas in them as we talked.

"Sure, we met earlier this week. How did you beat me down here?" I asked Paisley.

Before she could respond Andrew pulled himself out of the water with a devious smile on his face and scooped Paisley in his arms fireman style. Andrew jumped in the water splashing the crowd around me. When they came to the surface a bigger crowd had gathered around them waiting for further entertainment. Paisley's previously perfect hair was soaking wet around her shoulders as she clung on to Andrew.

I was so distracted by Andrew's spectacle that I didn't notice Mathew come up behind me. I immediately recognized the calculation look in his eyes and moved out of his reach. Mathew wasn't easily discouraged, he lunged for me and ended up flying sideways into the pool. A loud roar of cheers erupted poolside. I smiled smugly to myself.

I heard an unfamiliar deep voice say,"Hey, Alyssa introduce me to your friend."

Turning toward him Alyssa said, "Hello Nathan."

I took a step toward Alyssa and my jubilant mood was suddenly halted.

"Paris Ivashkov," Alyssa motioned between us, "this is Nate Bodinca."

The last time I had seen this guy was in the feeding room. He about to take a bite out of some poor girl and I ran out of the room like some cheesy horror movie. It wasn't his fault that I had these issues, but I still couldn't get the vision of it out of my mind.

I forcefully swallowed the bile collecting in my mouth and stuttered,"Bodinca? Are you related to Nicole?"

The guy had the nerve to laugh, "Yeah, my little sister makes a name for herself wherever she goes." He smirked at me, "Don't worry Paris I think that you and I will get along much better."

Mathew jumped up out of the water and shook his head from side to side like a dog. He had a huge smile on his face.

"Seriously Mathew," Alyssa said wiping the stray drops of water off of her arms.

"Nate," Mathew said in a clipped tone, "what do you want?"

"O I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I can see what has Nicole all fired up," Nate responded eyeing me lewdly.

"Nate goes to Princeton with me," Alyssa admitted clearly annoyed with him.

I nodded, in an uncomfortable silence.

"Come in the water Paris." Mathew tried to convince me. "It's warm and we are just about start a volleyball game." Mathew pointed toward the middle of the pool where a large net had been set up.

I heard a much more welcome voice from behind me say, "Paris can be on my team." Mason wrapped his arm around my waist possessively and placing his palm on my belly button. He kissed me gently on the fleshy skin just under my ear.

I leaned back into him soothingly. "Hey, I wondered where you were." I remembered my fathers earlier warning and tried to take a step forward, but Mason held me in place, "Have you seen my dad?"

"In a the hot tub in the corner with my parents." He said very softy, "Who do you think sent me over here?"

I shrugged not wanting to move an inch.

"You want to play or what?" Mathew said bursting my bubble.

"I'll take any opportunity to kick your butt Zelkos," Mason said smartly.

After carefully removing my lei I took off my hair tie and pulled my hair up into a messy bun. "Okay boys lets do this," I said stepping to the edge of the water and dove in. I swam under the water to the far side of the pool by the net. The bath like water felt amazing.

The others followed me and after a bit of fighting everyone split into teams. Mason insisted on being on my side and it was clear after a few volleys that the teams were unbalanced. Mason was all over the net spiking and shutting down Mathew and Andrew. Alyssa found slaughtering the other team hilarious.

I took the ball back to serve and spoke to Mason, "I think that you've clearly made your point."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mason snapped and reached for my right arm as I tired to pass him.

I gave him an annoyed look, "I get that you want to win and beat Mathew, but you don't have to spike it in his face every time."

A slow smile made it's way across his face, "I know, but it's so much fun."

I rolled my eyes and served the last few points of the game.

I swam under the net toward the losing team. "You should be happier than that," Mathew said to my frown, "I've never been so humbled."

"I'm sorry," I told them embarrassed at Mason's unsportsmanlike behavior.

I heard Mason splashing up behind me, "You don't need to apologize Paris. We were just better then them."

I closed my eyes trying to stir up some patience.

"It's okay Paris really," Mathew tried to soothe me, "we all have our strengths. Obviously Mason's is volleyball.

"Don't pretend that you know anything about me Zelkos," Mason warned him.

I swam, beating everyone back to the side of the pool that they had been gathered.

"Really Nathan, out of all the people here tonight," Nicole screeched holding onto the ladder for support. Her face was turning the same deep red color as her tiny bikini.

"Chill out Nicole it was only volleyball," her brother returned.

Mason caught up with me whispering the command into my ear, "Get out of the pool!"

I flashed him a disbelieving look and spoke softly," What?"

Nicole was out of patience. "I guess I'm going to have to put up with Mathew's wandering eyes for a few more days, but I can't believe my own brother would associate with her," she spat in my direction.

"Get out of the pool," Mason ordered. "Now!"

I looked back and forth between Nicole and Mason, both of whom had clearly lost their minds.

"You don't get to have it both ways you know," Nicole directed toward me. "Either you are one of that kind," she paused to give a disgusted look to Mason, "or you can pretend to fit in with us. But, you should know that you will never be excepted by either of us until you choose."

I finally agreed with Mason and using the lip of the pool I pulled myself gracefully out of the water onto my feet. "What if I don't want to choose Nicole? What are you going to do about it?" I taunted her. Apparently the Zen Goddess had left the building.

"I know all about you. You aren't trained in anything, you couldn't hurt me," Nicole said snidely. "We all know what you are going to become." She turned her venom toward Paisley, "Don't think I won't remember what kind of person you are. Clearly you have no loyalty. I'm sure you will end up even more outcast then your mother, which would be quite an accomplishment."

I heard a few gasps from behind me. Mathew was yelling at Nicole trying to get her attention. Nathan pulled himself out of the water behind me, but was a few steps behind Mason.

"Out of here now! Lets go find your dad," he repeated.

Something in me snapped. Somewhere between her threatening Paisley and taunting Mathew I had lost my mind. I took a few steps in Nicole's direction and all humor washed from my face,"Trained or not I like my chances Nicole. You keep talking and I am going to make you glad that your bathing suit is already red." I was having some kind of out of body experience. I had never threaten to hurt anyone before.

Mason grabbed onto my arm, linking our elbows and trying to pull me back toward him.

I could feel all of the eyes focused on me.

Rose quickly came up behind me. I could feel her at my back. "What's the matter Paris?"

"Nothing, I was just leaving," I tried to get myself to listen to Mason. I was disgusted that I had lowered myself to her level.

"You should have heard her," Nicole chimed in, "Paris threatened me."

"Hmm seems to me Nicole you better keep your mouth shut then," Rose smirked. "I've seen Paris knock Mason on his back I can't imagine what she could do to you. " It was easy to see how upset Nicole's words had made me.

"I bet, she seems like the easy type to me," Nicole prodded.

I smiled, "I guess you know all about that type don't you."

Nicole looked scandalized, "You are supposed to be a guardian. How can you let her talk to me like that?"

"I didn't hear anything," Rose smiled sweetly. "I'm not supposed to be a guardian, I am a guardian. You need to start respecting what that means if you hope to have anyone risk their life for you."

"Whenever," Nicole hissed.

Rose looked horrified.

"It's okay Rose," I lightly tapped her arm, "Nicole is just annoyed because she isn't the center of attention. Maybe if we all stare at her for awhile she'll calm down."

Mason turned his head slowly toward me with a shocked expression on his face and busted out laughing. Rose turned and chuckled into her shoulder.

"See how crazy she is," Nicole was enraged, "Paris should not be allowed in here!"

Nicole's comment sparked something in Rose. "Girl you have no idea what crazy is. I have seen crazy and we are not even close."

"That's it," Mason took charge, "we're leaving."

"I'm not leaving," I demanded.

"Paris move your legs or I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you out." Mason spoke so softly I could barely hear him, but he looked like he wanted to scream.

I turned and walked toward the locker room without looking back.

Mason stepped in front of me. "Five minutes I'll meet you in the hallway. Don't think I won't come in there and get you."

Knowing this would be a tough battle to win, I waited until Mason had walked a few steps into the men's locker room before I said, "No," and turned back around. I dashed toward the row of hot tubs until I spotted my father and Eddie. They were chatting and laughing loudly with large drinks in their hands. The umbrella from Eddie's drink fell and I fished it out as I stepped into the water.

I didn't turn around, but I knew Mason was coming up behind me.

Eddie gave me a concerned look, "You okay Paris? Looked like Rose got to you just in time." Eddie turned and gave Mason a strange look.

"I'm fine," I smiled, "I refuse to let anyone run me out of here. Especially that brat Nicole. This was supposed to be fun," I gave my dad a sad smile.

"You're right," my father agreed, "just relax, doesn't the water feel good?"

I closed my eyes and let myself sink into the bubbly water. "It really does," I sighed.

"Did you get the package I sent over," Eddie asked me vaguely.

Raising my mouth up above the water I responded, "Yup we are all set, don't worry."

I opened my eyes to see Eddie nod a let out a stiff breath, "I know I'm just freaking out a bit."

I laughed into the bubbles.

"Um Paris," My father asked questioningly, "why does Mason look like he wants to punch someone?"

Mason stood a few feet away. He was chatting with an older man I had never seen before. He looked miserable.

"O' Mason was just under the false assumption that he could tell me what to do," I grinned, "hopefully he gets the message now."

Eddie looked up at Mason and shook his head, "That boy has got it bad."

I shrugged and took a fruity looking drink from a waitress.

"He definitely does," My father agreed glancing at Mason, "I almost feel bad for him."

"Why is that," I huffed.

"Mason is so worried about you he's making himself crazy," Eddie pointed out.

"I remember that feeling, it's torture," dad added.

Guilt came crashing over me and I suddenly felt like a sulking child. I took a few sips of my drink and then set it on the attached table. "This hot water is making me tired," I said letting out a long yawn. "I'm going to head back to my room."

My father and Eddie, both gave me a knowing smile. "Okay, goodnight," my dad said pulling me over to kiss the top of my head. Eddie gave me a ridiculously wink, "Don't be too hard on Mason, he has no idea what he's doing with you."

I gave him a blank stare and slowly climbed out of the tub. Without looking back I walked into the locker room and collected my things. I wrapped one of the fabulously plush towels around my waist and stepped out into the chilly hallway. I walked right into a wall of Mason. He stood with his hands on his hips and a defeated expression spread across his face. He didn't have a towel around him and was probably freezing.

"Why are you giving me that look Mason?" I said exasperated.

He shook his head and closed his eyes. Without saying anything Mason turned and started walking away.

"What after all that fuss you are just going to walk away now?"

Mason whipped around and said blandly, "I'm not having this conversation here."

"Fine," I spoke just barely and followed him studiously up to my room. We didn't speak the entire way. Mason held the door for me and closed it softy.

"Now do you want to explain to me what just happened?" I started.

"Paris I have no idea where to start."

"Okay do you want to explain why you felt the need to be super volleyball player and act like a complete ass?" I taunted him and wrapped my towel tighter around my shoulders.

"What are you talking about? It was just a friendly game. Who cares if we beat them or not?

"You weren't a very good winner." I added.

"So what. It felt good to beat Mathew at something for a change, him and that whole group of over privileged jerks."

I shook my head at him in frustration. "If you dislike them so much why were you playing at all?"

"I think that is fairly obvious," Mason said with a shiver.

"No, it's not." I spat at him, "I don't need a babysitter. It's bad enough that Abe has poor Quinn following me around." I reached in my bathroom and whipped a towel at him.

"Do you understood who you are playing games with?" Mason stopped and waited, but I didn't answer, "We both know I"m not talking about the volleyball Paris. Alyssa Zelkos is queen bee. People listen to what she says and does. These people can destroy your reputation before you even have one."

"I couldn't careless about my reputation," I said making quotations with my fingers.

"You might not but, I'm sure your dad does and I'm sure your mom does too." he said. "Wherever she is," he added almost inaudibly.

I laughed humorlessly, "They have never been too concerned about reputations Mason." I tried to ignore how adorably he brushed the towel through his shaggy hair.

"What's going on?" Mason huffed. "Where did the reasonable, mature girl that I had dinner with go? Why are you acting so defiant?"

I looked away, not able to meet his eyes.

Mason began to beg,"I'm not good at this stuff Paris. I have no idea what to do with these mood swings. Just tell me what's wrong so I can fix it."

Somehow I managed to string together a few words, "It occurred to me earlier that you are leaving on Friday and that leaves us only one more day together."

Mason suddenly looked depressed. "You have known that all along Paris."

I nodded mirroring his expression. "You haven't mentioned anything about it. You haven't said anything about staying in touch or staying friends."

Mason's sad expression changed to horror. "That's because we can't. There is no way to continue our relationship after we leave here."

The tears were in the corner of my eyes, but I didn't let them fall. "I'm not saying we need to have a relationship, I'm just saying we could talk or email. We both have phones and computers it wouldn't be that hard."

"Paris," Mason said in a tortured voice, "it's not possible. Any level of communication is a very bad idea."

"Why," I almost whined.

"I can't be distracted right now. This is the most important time in my whole life. If I do well and continue to prove myself this semester I could secure my whole future. You have to understand that any kind of communication between us will be emotional, for both of us. I can't have that right now. You have no idea how many sacrifices I would have to make to have any kind of relationship with you right now."

I let out a disbelieving huff. "Right, I have no idea what it's like to sacrifice," I mocked him, "I haven't seen what my parents have done for our family. How naive I must be to have never see a difficult relationship." I turned away and started searching for a teeshirt to put on over my wet swimsuit.

"A Moroi- dhampir relationship is difficult Paris, but it doesn't require total sacrifice, Mason said ignorantly. "Look at Eddie and Jill."

I looked him square in the eyes and stated, "My mother isn't a dhampir."

"Don't be ridiculous Paris," Mason threw his hands up into the air, "I'm sure it's been explained to you. If she wasn't a dhampir you would be a Moroi."

"You're not listening to me Mason," I paused, "I know what I am and I know how this works. My mother isn't a dhampir."

Slowly the pieces of the puzzle were coming together for him and the confused look on Mason's face turned astonished, "Paris that would mean."

I cut him off and threw my teeshirt onto my bed, "Yeah that's what it means." I couldn't meet his eyes. I was so cold I had started to softly shiver. "Now go," I gestured in the direction of the door.

Mason put his hands on the tops of my shoulders and forced me to look up at him, "Go where Paris?"

"I don't know," I said defiantly.

"You thought telling me that would push me away? You thought it would make me not want to be with you?

One small tear leaked out of my right eye and I quickly wiped it away with the back of my fist. "I thought you said you weren't good at this emotional girl stuff."

Mason pulled me toward him and rubbed his hands up and down on my arms, "You're freezing Paris."

"I don't care," I gently cried into his ice cold chest.

"I don't care either Paris," Mason assured me, "I don't care who your mom or your dad are. I just care about you."

"You've seen all the drama that I have been through this week with my grandmother and Nicole. In all the stress of the trip you have been my only blessing." I continued, "How can you push me away completely? If you care about me how could you force me out of your life?"

"You have got to understand Paris," Mason begged and held me firmly at his chest, "I'm doing this for you too. You need to go have a great life. I don't want you worried about me all the time."

I shook my head in his chest, "I care about you too Mason. I will probably always worry about you." I didn't tell him that I loved him even though I was pretty sure that I did. It would only make it harder in the end.

"Let me help you forget," Mason whispered nipping my ear and kissing down my neck.

I answered almost incoherently, "I don't want to forget you Mason."

"No," he corrected me, "let me help you forget about your grandmother, Nicole, and all of the drama. I can help you forget about everything else, it's what I'm good at."

I gasped as Mason continued kissing down to my shoulder, "You are good at lots of things Mason."

"Let me show you," Mason convinced me and reached up behind my neck to untie my bathing suit top.

I let out a soft moan as I watched my bikini top hit the floor.

Mason was not wrong, when his hands and mouth found my chest I forgot about everything else.

**Thanks so much for reading. I loved everyone's comments and I really thought about everyone's ideas as I wrote this chapter. It took me a long time to get this chapter just right. I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. For all you super awesome readers that read both Mason and Paris' POV the next chapter will be another Paris. I got started on it and I couldn't pull myself away. **

**Happy Reading!**


	15. The Afternoon Everything Changed

**Warning, steamy scene ahead. If that offends you or you are a bit young to be reading teen rated stories please skip down the first few paragraphs! This is a great chapter and ton happens so I wouldn't skip it completely. Thanks for reading you're the best! I promise a new Mason chapter this week, probably Friday. **

All I felt was an explosion of feeling. One second Mason was all over me kissing, nipping, and teasing me like he was possessed man. The next I was screaming his name, again. This time he didn't feel the need to muffle me it seemed to egg him on. Mason scooped me up and tossed me on my bed. I landed on my back with a bounce.

Mason stood in front of me staring at my chest. I should have felt embarrassed, but I didn't have any urge to cover myself up. I felt powerful in a way I never had before. I was making this strong fierce man lose control and I loved it. The look of unguarded joy told me everything that I needed to know.

Mason's words surprised me, "You really are the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen."

I reached down to tug on the ties of my bottoms, but Mason stopped me, "Paris, I'm only so strong." He looked tortured.

"I don't want you to be strong," I said running my finger tips over his glorious stomach.

Mason shook his head at me, but the smirk on his face told me that he didn't really disagree. "I know you're freezing, you should get in the shower."

"You want to take a shower with me?" I asked him boldly.

"Paris?" Mason burst out, "I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to be naked with you. The vision of you all soaped up does wicked things to me."

I laughed. "I'm glad. You should keep that memory for later," I joked raising an eyebrow at him.

Mason swallowed and I could see the muscles moving in his throat. "Paris what's gotten into you. I know this isn't what you want."

"Really," I questioned him, "being with you isn't what I want?"

"Maybe it seems like a good idea now, but I think that you would regret it later," his face fell. "I can't be the one to take that from you. I can't be your first."

"What if I want you to be?" I asked him wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him on the bed with me.

"You deserve better than this," Mason said his eyes piercing mine, "you deserve the best, someone that's able to give you the whole world not just one night," with an apologetic face he continued, "I'm leaving Friday." His hands started stroking my face gently and I leaned into his touch.

"I want to be with you," I whispered, "but I'm not going to beg."

A pained moan came from the back of his throat. "This isn't something you want interrupted." Mason motioned to the adjoining door.

I shrugged and pushed his back onto the bed and flashed him a wicked smile, "That doesn't mean we can't fool around right?"

"O we can definitely fool around," Mason grinned up at me as I straddled him.

"Umm maybe I should check the door first," I said uncomfortably.

Mason gave me a quick nod and his unguarded laugh, "Good idea."

We spent the next hour getting tangled in my sheets. His lips sliding along my skin. My hands finally getting a chance to explore him. I got to know every inch of Mason's skin, he was surprisingly modest. Mason didn't scream my name when he lost control, he moaned it.

Laying in the crook of his arm exhausted I ran the tips of my fingers over his stomach. It was a work of art and it was also incredibly ticklish.

"Hey stop it, "Mason laughed circling my wrist with his thumb and pointer finger.

I yawned, "I'm sleepy."

Mason burrowed his face in my hair and took a deep breath. "You want to hear something funny."

"Always," I purred into his arm pit.

"When I went back to my room earlier, after bowling," Mason spoke into my wild hair," I had a present waiting for me."

"Good present or bad present?" I was almost afraid to ask.

"It seems someone sent my coat out to be cleaned. It was all wrapped up in plastic and waiting for me."

I couldn't hold in the laugh that bubbled from my throat. "You think that I did that?"

"Didn't you," Mason wondered.

"Nope," I told him as I watched our fingers weave together. "Apparently my grandmother was so horrified at the sight of me wearing your jacket that not only did she have someone come in and remove it, but she had it sent out to be cleaned. If you makes you feel better she left me four ridiculously expensive designer replacements."

"You're joking?" He said hesitantly, "What did she find so offensive?"

I shook with laughter, "The smell."

Mason was quiet and for a second I thought that I might have actually upset him. "Did I give you a stinky coat to wear?" Mason said horrified.

I sat up and looked at him adoringly. "What. No. I thought it smelled amazing. She had to fight me to take it off."

"Is it weird that I liked seeing in my clothes?" Mason asked shyly.

"I have no idea if that's weird, but I loved it. Girls at my school steal their boyfriend's sweatshirts all the time. When I found it missing I was kind of mad," I admitted.

A slow satisfied smile moved across Mason's face, "Well, I'll have to get you something else to wear."

I hugged him close to me and took a long deep breath, "Just make sure that it smells like you. I love the way you smell. "

"What do you mean? You want my dirty clothes," he chuckled.

"No," I swatted his arm, "just something that you've worn. Maybe to bed or something."

He tilted his head away from me, "What do I smell like?"

I took another deep breath in his arm and sighed, "You smell like mint and something manly. I'm not sure what it is exactly, maybe your shaving cream. It's tangy." I yawned long and hard.

Mason pulled me back into the crook of his arm. "Sleep sweetheart you've had a long day."

"We don't have much time left," I said softly.

"I know," he was suddenly very quiet, "just rest." Mason began to gently smooth my hair and I quickly drifted off.

When I woke up the midday light had filled my room. I blinked away the bright light. It was strange how easily I had become accustomed to not seeing it. I realized quickly that Mason was no longer in my room and I was still mostly naked. The light of day slapped me in the face. Last night was crazy. I was crazy. I practically begged Mason to sleep with me and _he said no!_ That was by far the sluttiest thing that I had ever done and just thinking about it had me cringing.

I showered and stripped the sheets off my bed. After dumping them in a pile at the end of the bed I left a note for house keeping to change them. Questions about why my bed smelled like Mason were the last thing I wanted from my father.

Just as I was about to leave my room in search of coffee, something pink caught the corner of my eye. On the table in the sitting room my beautiful pink lei was arranged with a lavender card. I opened the envelop and smiled at the overly neat handwriting. Mason had written me a note in Russian.

_You are more lovely than the most beautiful flower. ~Nikolai_

I had no idea how he got the flower back for me. Leaving it behind had frustrated me. How had he known that I wanted it?

I loved that he written the note to me in Russian. It was intimate and special, like a secret just between the two of us. He just assumed I could read it.

It was astonishing to me that he had signed it with his given name. That was so special, it made me feel trusted and cherished. Folding the letter I placed it in a book by my bed. My heart was racing and I felt a little dizzy. This alien feeling had a name. I had to protect my heart, I couldn't give into it.

I scooped up my computer, sent Quinn a quick text, and headed off in search of caffeine. The cafe was a ghost town, not the bustling hub of activity I had seen in the past. Even though it was close to four in the afternoon most people had chosen to sleep away the daylight hours of their last few vacation days. As I sat down and spread out my technological gadgets I spotted Quinn enter with a thick book. He took a table across the room and after giving me a small wave turned his attention to its pages.

I cracked open my Mac book and began to dig through the ridiculous amount of mail in my inbox. Even though I had email on my phone I hadn't had a chance to respond to anyone. I sent both Ben and my mom a few pictures I had taken of the resort and an upbeat update on my adventures. A huge part of me wasn't ready to leave Mason, but I was equally anxious to return to my house. I was a little home sick. I missed my room and normalcy of being surrounded by my things. I had some guilt knowing my mother and Ben would be relieved to have us home. I was even longing for the quiet companionship of our dogs.

When I finished with my email I moved on to cleaning out and updating my goodreads page. Despite bringing along quite a few books, I hadn't made a dent in any of them. None of the stories held my attention like the dramas I had lived through at the resort. I sipped my coffee, put some headphones on, and pulled out my ipad. The simplicity of being able to sit and play mindless games seemed like a gift. I sent all of my sims to work and moved on to my neglected kindle.

I lost myself in a story until I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Jill giving me a indulgent smile. I pulled out my earbuds and returned her smile.

"Are you trying to balance the national debt?" Jill said laughing loudly at her joke.

I gave her a questioning look, "What?"

"You look so serious surrounded by all of this technology. Your mother did always have a thing for Apple products I shouldn't be surprised that she bought you all of them." She tilted her head forward and spoke softly, "Just like your mom you always look like you're solving puzzles or hacking into a some super secret government files."

I let out my own giggle, "Nope, not unless you consider Candy Crush an important puzzle."

"What are you listening to," Jill asked tilting her head toward my earbuds.

I looked down at my phone and handed her one of the buds "O I think this is Florence and The Machine. The song is called Shake It Out."

"Never heard of them," she admitted, "but, it's a cool song."

I grinned at her approval.

Jill paused, "Something is different about you." She squinted at me and shook her head. "You seem more grown up. I was really impressed how you handled yourself at the benefit yesterday. It isn't as easy as people think to keep a smile on your face and be patient. At least we raised a truck load of money for sick kids." Jill went on as she sipped her latte.

I shrugged and closed the screen on my computer, "It wasn't a big deal. I was kind of surprised that my grandmother had such a good time. She seemed to want everyone there to know all about me."

Jill nodded enthusiastically, "Don't get my wrong Paris, you are an amazing kid. The best really. I just wasn't expecting this level of acceptance from your grandmother. I just don't want you to get crushed if she does something stupid."

I gave her a huge smile. "You are always worried about me," I pointed out as I stacked my ipad and my kindle and giving her my complete attention. "What if she has always wanted Ben and me in her life? What if it was her husband that wouldn't let her? People do irrational things for the people that they love. Maybe she was trying to keep him happy?"

Jill leaned back in her seat. "That's possible. Nathan was a horrible man, constantly miserable and always complaining about one thing or another. After your dad told them he was leaving with your mom, there was no going back. Your dad couldn't have done anything to make Nathan happy."

"I guess it doesn't matter anymore," I said cheerfully.

"You seem awfully happy today," Jill pointed out. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

I shook my head, "I don't know. I'm finally used to this wonky schedule. I don't feel sleep deprived anymore."

"No, you look different," Jill leaned forward and rested her head on top of her folded hands, "I would almost say you look.."

"What?" I cut her off.

"O geez you and Mason have been getting closer haven't you?" Jill asked with a wicked smile. "I mean I don't want the details or anything."

"Jill!" I said a little too loudly. Luckily the restaurant was still pretty empty, but I didn't want to broadcast my private life.

Jill had the nerve to laugh. "Paris it was bound to happen sometime. I'm glad it was Mason. Just tell me, was he nice to you." She lowered her voice, "I mean, well, you know what I mean."

"I like Mason a lot, and I'm not going to lie to and say we haven't been getting closer," I rubbed my eyes in frustration. I was shockingly unashamed in my relationship with Mason. I cared about him so it didn't feel wrong. "Even though I kind of want to," I blew of a quick breath, "we haven't."

"You kind of want to" Jill repeated questioningly, "but, you haven't?"

"No," I confirmed looking around to make sure we were still basically alone. I was grateful Quinn had put his music on when Jill sat down.

"Look Paris don't you dare tell your father that I encouraged this, because for the record I'm not," Jill said crossing her arms across her chest. "We both know you have your own room and you could do a lot worst then Mason. He's a nice guy and he looks at you like you're the first girl he's ever seen. But, just make sure that it's for the right reasons, make sure that you really care about him. Otherwise I can promise you, you'll regret it."

"Don't worry so much Jill. Mason made it clear he doesn't want to." I reached across the table and grabbed her hand, "Thanks for always being there, but if you breathe a word of this to my dad I'm going to disown you."

Jill gawked at me, "Mason told you that he didn't want to?" She paused for a second and burt out laughing, "Tell me you didn't buy that load of crap? That boy must be delusional if he thinks you would believe that." Jill's face turned very serious, "Of course you know I love you. I feel bad I haven't spent more time with you." She admitted and looked down at her phone, "Eddie is meeting me in a minute and I really need to run to the bathroom. Promise I'll see you at dinner?"

I smirked knowing what was in store for her at dinner, "I promise."

Jill took off for the bathroom just as Alex and Eddie slid in the door. Seeing me sitting alone they immediately headed over to my table.

"Hey dear have you seen Jill," Eddie asked nervously.

I gave him a small smile and nodded, "Yeah she'll be right back. You okay Eddie you seem a little jittery." The normally unflappable Eddie just didn't seem right.

Eddie glanced at Alex, "Keep your mouth shut and don't react." Alex nodded solemnly.

"I'm freaking out!" Eddie spat out, "Jill's mom gave me this incredible antique ring that belonged to her grandmother. It's been in their family for like a hundred years. I thought since I had all week I would have it cleaned and sized so that when I gave it to her it would fit perfectly. The only problem is I have to go pick it up and it's New Year's Eve so the jewelry store closes at six. I keep coming up with excuses to leave, but Jill is really suspicious. If I don't get the ring it's going to ruin everything."

"Okay do you want me to distract her," I offered?

"Rose tried. Jill is adamant that I spend the day with her." Eddie said looking defeated, "She's been acting a little strange, even for Jill."

"Well I have a car I'll go get it." I tried, "Call the jewelry store and tell them I'm going to pick it up. Text me the address and I'll grab it for you. No problem."

Alex grinned and added, "I want to go."

"No way Alex not happening," Eddie grumbled. "I don't know Paris. I mean it's not a bad idea and I really appreciate the offer. If I thought your dad would let you I'd probably kiss you."

"Eddie, I run errands everyday," I said blandly, "my dad won't care. If it makes you feel better I'll make Quinn tag along." I gestured across the room where Quinn eyes us with interest.

"Okay," Eddie said satisfied with my concession, "clear it with your dad and I'll call the jewelry store." Eddie lowered his voice looking around for any sign of Jill, "Are you sure that Quinn will go with you?"

"Positive, just text me," I said as Jill emerged from the ladies room and headed over to collect Eddie.

Alex and I sat and watched them disappear out of the cafe.

"You got anywhere to be?" I asked Alex.

Alex grinned, "Nowhere I'd rather be than with you."

"Geez Alex we are going to have to work on these lines," I teased him, "maybe your brother could help you out." I winked.

"I never thought anyone would tell me to get romantic advise from my brother," he teased.

I shrugged, "I'm not complaining." Mason really was a closet romantic.

"I still can't get the vision of him from this morning out of my head. His cocky grin alone told me way too much," Alex pretended to cringe.

I tried not to be clinging, but I had to ask, "Where is Mason this afternoon?"

Alex frowned, "I'm not sure." Concern crossed over his face and he told me, "My dad came in our room and the two of them left right after." He flashed me a grin, "Mason had only just gotten back to the room. I can't believe he didn't even text you."

"It's no big deal I'll catch up with him later," I said knowing it sounded like a big fat lie.

"Right. You are a terrible liar Paris."

I nodded and frowned, "I know. I'm having a lot of fun with Mason. I'm having a lot of fun with everyone. It's going to be hard to say goodbye tomorrow."

"I'll admit I've gotten used to having you around," Alex gave me a cheeky grin.

"I think that Ben would really like you," I told him, "I hope he gets a chance to meet you someday."

"His name is Benjamin Ivashkov?" he asked wondering if my father had given him the same unusual last name.

"No," I explained, "Bennet Ivasklov"

"That's different," Alex smiled. "But Paris isn't a really popular name either. It's unique."

"Is your name really Alex or did you change it like Mason did?" I asked him without thinking.

"What?" Alex spat out all the color washing from his face.

"I'm sorry that was a personal question I shouldn't have asked." I was incredibly embarrassed.

"No it's totally fine," Alex soothed me, "I just can't believe Mason told you that. Only a few people know that about us." Alex surprised me by explaining, "My birth father was really angry when my mother didn't name Mason after him. He insisted that I was. The story I was told was that my mom hated it so she always called me by my middle name. I have always gone by Alex because I knew that's what she would have wanted."

I melted back into my chair, "Thank you for sharing that with me."

"Well I guess if Mason trusts you," Alex winked at me, "I can too."

I laughed and took the last long swig from my coffee," Come on I want to show you something." I got up from the table and signaled to Quinn. The three of us jumped into an elevator and made our way back to the room I had practiced in the day before. After filling Quinn on my conversation with Eddie he agreed to come with me as long as he talked to my father first. Quinn excused himself to make some phone calls. Walking into the large room I sat down at and reached into the my bag for my sheet music. I noticed that Alex had stopped just inside the door and hadn't followed me farther into room.

I waved him over, "Come here. What are you so afraid of?"

"I thought you had something to show me." Alex said hesitantly.

Patting the bench next to me I encouraged him, "I do. Get your butt over here."

Alex walked across the room, but stopped behind me instead of sitting down.

"So I heard you sing the other night at the piano bar and I incredibly impressed. Your are so naturally talented." I paused to give him a chance to absorb what I was saying, "It made me wonder if you knew anything about music."

"I love music. I sing any chance I can," Alex told me softly, "I never had any lessons or anything."

"Do you sing at school, like in chorus?"

Alex's eyes stared down at the carpet, "we don't have anything like that at St. Vlads."

"Okay," I said cheerfully, "so Eddie gave me this music he wants me to play during dinner tonight, but it's written way too low for me. You want to give it a try?"

"You mean," Alex hesitated, "you want me to sing the words? I don't know what any of the symbols mean."

I began by explaining the time signature and tempo to him. Once I broke the ice Alex began to gain more confidence and sat down beside me. He started asking me questions about the sheet music and the how to follow along. I patiently explained it to him.

After playing through the music a few times I surprised him, "You ready to give it a try?"

"I'm not sure I can do it," Alex said softly looking down into his hands. This guy I had seen with all of confidence in the world was afraid to mess up.

"Listen Alex it's just you and me here. No one is going to judge you if you make a mistake and I'll follow you," I encouraged him.

Alex looked over at me apprehensively, "Do you think that you could sing through it once. The only way that I have learned music in the past was by listening."

I nodded, "It's way too low for me so it won't sound great, but just jump in when you feel comfortable."

I started playing the music slowly and kept the tempo where I knew he could follow along. I sang through the song once and was starting to really fall in love with it. When I finished I flipped back to the beginning of the music and started again. Just as I suspected Alex jumped in the second time and it was amazing. I had not been wrong, he was incredibly talented. The soulful tone of his voice matched the pained words of the song perfectly. Alex wasn't perfect though. I found that occasionally he would lose confidence and his tone would start getting flat, but each time we went though it he got more comfortable.

"It sounds good in here," Quinn said entering the room.

"Thanks," I grinned, "any news on our field trip?"

"As a matter a fact there is," Quinn said leaning on the top of the piano with his elbow, "I just got off the phone with your dad and he's okay with our adventure as long as we go soon while it is still light out. After a creative diversion from Rose, Eddie was able to give the jewelers a call and got the okay for us to pick up the package. We just have to show ID when we get there. I have to say I wouldn't be onboard with this if it wasn't so close by, but it's a nice thing you are doing."

I blushed a little. "You were very thorough and I appreciate your help."

"Do you think that I could run upstairs and get the keys to the SUV without you getting into trouble? We don't have time to mess around." Quinn asked.

I agreed and Alex promised not to let me leave the safety of the room.

I watched Quinn stalk out of the room and returned to our lesson. "Do you like the song?" I asked.

"It's all right," he responded honestly, "I don't really understand it."

"Okay, well think about the words of the song. In the opening it talks about not blaming yourself for who you love right?" Alex nodded. "Don't you think that Eddie had some guilt about falling in love with Jill? She probably seemed way out of his league."

"I'm sure," Alex agreed, "but they are so great together."

"Right and then the words talk about not understanding love because they had never felt anything remotely like it," I pointed out.

"Didn't Eddie's mom leave him at the academy when he was just a really small?" Alex asked.

"Yeah she did."

Alex turned and looked through the words of the rest of the song. "It doesn't seem like a terribly romantic song to sing. If I was going to get engaged I would pick something a little more romantic."

I laughed, "This song is important to them as a couple. A long time ago Eddie tried to break things off with Jill. He didn't feel worthy of her. They went to some event and ended up dancing. Jill sang this song to him as they danced. It was a turning point in their relationship."

"Jill asked him to let her love him like the words of the song. Okay that is incredibly romantic. How did you know all of that?" Alex wondered.

I pulled a paper out of the packet of sheet music. It was a long letter from Eddie explaining how important this song had been to him and how ever time he thought of giving up with Jill she would play this song for him."

"Wow Eddie must really trust you if he told you all of that. It seems very important," Alex pointed out.

"I'm glad he does. Both Eddie and Jill are like family to me. I'm not sure Eddie knew why at the time, but it was a good thing that he did share the story with me."

"Why's that," Alex frowned.

"If I didn't understand the how important the words were to them I would have probably just played the song," I said sneakily.

Alex gave me a confused look. "You're going to sing the song at dinner tonight?"

"Not me," I smirked, "you."

"What no way," Alex responded. I stayed quiet and let him work it over in his head. "I mean no one has ever heard me sing really, just that one night at the piano bar. What if we mess up? What if it turns out terrible? I could mess up the whole thing."

After a second Alex's stopped hyperventilating and I explained, "It's going to be great. If you stop or mess up I'll jump in and help you. I've played this song enough times now that I could probably change it up if I had to. Think about how amazing it will be if we can work it out." Alex just shook his head in response. "Here," I said reaching down and pulling out my ipod, "listen to this version of the song while I'm gone and tell me later what you decide. Listen to the words and try to make a connection to them, it will make you a better singer."

Alex took the ipod from me begrudgingly. "How did I let you rope me into this?" he said to the ceiling.

I giggled at his dramatic answer. "I wonder what's taking Quinn so long," I responded and collected all my papers together and stuffed them back into the envelope. As soon as I opened the door I spotted Quinn barreling down the hallway.

"What took you so long?" I asked Quinn as he got closer.

"Politics," was his only response. "We need to move, we're losing light."

I turned back and said, "Think it over Alex. By the way you have no idea where were we are. You haven't seen us right?"

"Haven't seen a thing," Alex shook his head at me in amusement.

I followed Quinn up the hall and to the front doors. I was a little startled when one of the guardians at the door grabbed my arm. "Miss where are you going?"

"It's none of your business where I'm going," I told him annoyed I had to explain myself.

The man's grip tightened on my arm and I let out a small yelp, "You don't get to go off and get yourself into trouble. Then you become my problem," the guardian tried to intimidate me. He was a big guy with an ugly face. He wasn't expecting my attitude, but he was about to get a lot more of it.

"Myron," Quinn yelled snapping my attention, "she's with me. It's been cleared and we are hoping to get back before dusk, let Paris go so we can get a move on."

He let go of my arm and pushed me harshly away from him, "Whatever,"

Without looking back we took off in the direction of our rental car.

"That guy is a real winner," I commented still rubbing the sting out my bicep.

Quinn let out an impatient breath, "Myron is a pain in the ass, but he's good at his job."

Quinn's steps were so quick and long that I was almost jogging to keep up. "I would probably hate the world too if my name was Myron," I pointed out. I had no idea how he knew where the car had been parked or why he didn't just have the valet bring it up to the front.

"Throw me the keys," I said walking over to driver side door.

Quinn had the nerve to laugh, "Nice try. Go climb in I need you to enter the address into the GPS. The roller coaster roads around here make it difficult to know when to turn."

"You're joking," I spat and refused to move.

"No I'm not," Quinn huffed, "I don't have time to play driving instructor right now. Get in the vehicle. Now." He wasn't just losing patience, Quinn was getting angry.

"Fine," I stomped around the SUV, "just for the record my mother taught me to drive when I was thirteen and I had my drivers license the first day I was legally allowed to. She taught me on a car without power steering or brakes incase you're worried about my abilities."

"Of course she did," Quinn agreed, "I've seen the mustang it's a beauty."

His comment pacified me and climbed up into the SUV. "Do you have the address handy?" I asked Quinn and quickly got us moving.

"Is there any particular reason you drive like an old lady on her way to church?" I teased him. Even though we were moving Quinn was taking to roads ridiculously slowly.

"The temperature dropped and it's below freezing. If we get into an accident not only am I going to lose my job, but I'm going to have to deal with your little boyfriend. Not going to happen," Quinn explained to me boldly.

O crap I hadn't even considered Mason. "You and I both know he's not my boyfriend so don't tease me about," I spoke softly all the fire coming out of my attitude.

Quinn turned his head just slightly so he could see me out of the corner of his eye, "You didn't tell him did you?"

"Mason? Did I tell him what?"

Quinn pounded the steering wheel with his fist, "About out little road trip. You didn't think to mention it to him did you?"

"You're right I forgot to tell him, but why do you think that he has the right to know where I am," I growled.

We turned down a two lane road that led us into a town so small if I had blinked I would have missed it. Only four or five stores sat along the road and trucks and other four wheel drive vehicles lined the road. Quinn pulled us into a small alleyway in front of the jewelry store and slammed the SUV into park.

Turning to me Quinn spoke, "As far as I'm concerned the morning I found you in Mason's bed he earned the right to know."

Quinn got out of the car and I heard the door slam behind him. I jumped out and grabbing my purse I headed off behind him. "I told you I didn't sleep with him."

Quinn stopped so abruptly that I almost slammed into him, "Do you think that means he won't worry about you?"

The worst part of his argument was that he was right.

The jewelry store was a small mom and pop style business with only a few display cases. He man behind the register was helpful and after seeing my ID was happy to go in the back to locate the ring. While we waited I sent Mason a guilty text message. I told him how uneventful our trip had been and how we would on our way back in a few minutes. Mason responded immediately like he was waiting for my text. He told me in no uncertain terms to get back quickly, and he was right. The light had almost completely fallen out of the sky and neither Quinn or I were familiar with the area.

I was starting to get nervous. It had been at least fifteen minutes since the jeweler had disappeared in the back and the remainder of the sun light had disappeared under the horizon. When the man finally reemerged from the back he held an old fashion blue satin box. When he opened it I was stunned. A large cushion cut emerald style diamond sat in a delicate platinum setting. It was extraordinary and exactly what Jill would pick for herself.

"I hope the young lady that this is meant for has the same reaction as you," the man said and placed it in a plastic bag and handed it to me.

After shaking the man's hand and thanking him I followed Quinn out of the door. I looped my hand in the crook of his arm and squeezed. "Thanks for coming with me Quinn. It means a lot to me to be able do this for Eddie and I won't have been able to without you."

"It is my pleasure to assist you Paris," Quinn pulled away and grinned at me.

I walked over to my door and waited for Quinn to click the locks open. "Come on Quinn I'm freezing here." After a few second I started loosing patience and walked back around the car, "What's wrong did you lose the keys?" I teased him.

I looked around the small alley way, but Quinn wasn't by the drivers side door.

My spine straighten when I spotted him. He was laying in a heap on the floor several feet away. My heart started pounding and my palms began to tingle. I could feel all of the muscles in my body tense.

Two pairs of red eyes leered at me from the far shadow of the alley just above his body.


	16. When Sparks Fly

**Thank you so much to everyone for all the encouraging reviews on my last chapter. It was especially great to hear from all of the guest readers. They really pumped me up to write this chapter. I hope you love it! If you do follow my story I promise more good stuff! I have been asked many times when I'm going to update. I usually update once a week on either Paris or Mason's POV. Now that summers here I hope to spend more time to writing and less time as a taxi driver. I really do appreciate everyone reading my story. Enjoy!**

I stood stalk still. I knew the look of horror on my face was telling them more than I could possibly say. Poor sweet Quinn was laying on the ground, a small trail of blood leaking out of the crease of his forehead and down his face.

Two sneering faces took a step toward me as the sun fell the rest of the way out of the sky. The small alleyway wasn't lit, but there was enough light from the dim streetlamp to make out the two Strigoi eyeing me like a juicy steak. Two former men. Their very tall thin frame led me to believe they could have been Moroi in a former life. One of them was hovering over Quinn like he wanted desperately to rip into his throat, but needed permission from the other before he finished him off. They both had on dark jeans, and despite the frigid air, one had a dark red polo and the other lime green tee shirt on. It was obvious to me that they weren't trying to hide in the shadows, just wait out the remaining sunlight.

We couldn't have stumbled across just one of these vile creatures, no it had to be two. I had never faced two before, but I knew with my abilities I could get out alive. This was going to be about playing it smart. Mason's lesson on Strigoi echoed through my brain. He wanted me to run, but no matter how fast or far I ran it wouldn't save Quinn. Running now wouldn't free me, if I abandoned Quinn it would haunt me.

The small white jewelry bag slipped from my fingers and made a slight thump on the ground. It jerked me out of my stupor. My hands fisted on reflex and I could feel the energy beginning to pulse through them. My heart took off like a jet engine as I looked up to met their ruby red eyes.

"What do we have here?" Mr. Red shirt stated not so cleverly as he continued to eye Quinn.

"It's a two for one deal," Mr. green shirt added taking a large step toward me. His head snapped abruptly back to the other man, "Don't touch him! You know the deal, we have to move them and then dispose of them."

Great, if the shop owner was in on this there would be no one coming to my rescue.

"What are you?" Mr. Green shirt asked returning his attention to me, "You sure are a pretty thing. Kind of a waste. Don't you think?" He looked back to his partner questioningly.

"I don't care if she's Miss America. I'm starving." Mr. Red shirt exploded, "Grab her or I'm going to! We need to get out of here." He looked down angrily as Quinn let out a low moan. He probably wasn't waking up, but the impatient man leaned down and gave him another brutal slap.

Little red sparks were starting to form between my fingers, but I needed to wait. This was about taking my time and being smart I reminded myself. I couldn't waste all of my energy or both Quinn and I would be in jeopardy.

"What's the matter sweetheart, cat got your tongue?" Mr. Green shirt asked tilting his head to the side snidely, but not making any moves toward me. He was probably older and more careful. He wasn't sure what skills I had and he wasn't anxious to lose his head.

"We don't have time for this!" Mr. Red shirt grumbled menacingly and moved lightning fast toward me. Giving me a wicked smile he swung at my head. I barely moved my head out of the way of his fist as I let out a small red ball of energy straight toward his face. It wasn't enough to kill him, but it stunned him enough to cause him to stumble backward into the brick wall. Unlike my mother's well formed large blue blasts my smaller red orbs were weaker. Usually against one Strigoi this wasn't a huge problem. My abilities always caught them so of guard that the fights ended before they started.

Having to fight two of them was going a problem. By the time I was able to deal with the first Strigoi the second one would be ready for my attack. My element of surprise would be compromised.

Mr. Red shirt's face was still burning as he fell to his knees and I sent a second larger red ball to the same spot in the middle of his face. My aim was slightly off and as he tucked into a ball his red shirt caught fire. He began to scream and flail around on the ground dramatically.

A deep throaty laugh came at me from Mr. Green shirt. I was temporarily stunned by his reaction, but quickly switched my offense toward him. He was bent over and slapping his leg in amusement, "Go on girl finish him off. I can't wait to see what you do next."

Mr. Red shirt was still burning unconsciously and although he was already healing I couldn't send anything more at him. I needed to conserve my energy. Fighting Mr. Green shirt was going to be a lot harder than the cocky guy writhing on the ground.

"Go on finish him off I won't stop you." Mr. Green shirt encouraged flicking his hand in my, "Truthfully that guy has been driving me nuts ever since I changed him."

"How long ago was that?" I spoke for the first time. I needed to buy myself enough time to figure out another way to finish the first guy off. I didn't have stake as I'm sure they expected. Quinn did, but there was no way I was willingly going to corner myself in the alleyway.

Mr. Green shirt eyed me with interest, "I'm not sure. I don't really keep track anymore. It was before the leaves fell off the trees, maybe September or October."

At least the poor man hadn't suffered in this state long.

"I can't," I admitted turning my palms face up for his view. The phone in my back pocket began to vibrate and I took a nervous breath. There would be no calling for help.

The remaining man shook his head, "What no stake? I thought you were a little young to be out here. I'm surprised they let you out of that prison they call a resort."

I shrugged emotionlessly with my chin proudly in the air.

"You are a brave thing aren't you? This is your last chance," he warned me as the flame went out on the man chest and he began moaning, "it's either going to be him or you. If he gets up there's not going to be much chance for you."

I lunged toward a large covered bucket that had been placed near the small dumpster in the corner of the alleyway. I knew I was making myself more vulnerable, but my choices were getting limited. The bucket smelled strongly of industrial solvent or possibly some kind of clean supply. Ripping fastener off the lid I splashed the remaining liquid on the now stirring Strigoi. I sent a small prayer to God that this mystery liquid was flammable and let another small ball leave my hand. It landed directly on his chest and burst immediately into flames. I stumbled back the smell of the dark billowy smoke making me choke and gag.

Mr. Green shirt clapped broadly and took a few determined steps toward me, "Well done. Now darling things are going to get very interesting."

"How's that?" I asked panting and slumping over in exhaustion. My only reassurance was that I could see the small rise and fall of Quinn's chest. At least he was still breathing and with a little luck he wouldn't be vegetable when this was over.

Mr. Green shirt grabbed my arm with such force my head snapped back with a yelp of pain. "If you leave with me now I'll let your friend live." He motioned with his free hand as if he was being exceptionally generous, "Free and clear. If you fight me I will go snap his neck before I drag you off. It's up to you. Either way my pet you will be reborn tonight."

"Reborn," I said hearing the waver in my own voice.

He let out a disbelieving laugh, "You didn't think that I would let you kill him and not take something in return did you? Miles was my companion. An inept annoying companion, but he got the job done. Don't fight this, immortality is a true gift. "

My eyes were growing wider with each of his words and a shudder went though my body. I couldn't disgrace my family by becoming one of these creatures. It was my deepest darkest fear come to life.

"These beautiful Ivashkov emerald eyes will look just as lovely red," he told me running his pointer finger down the left side of my face, "like shinning rubies."

My mouth gaped open in fear and amazement.

"Yeah, I've been around a while," he nodded at me. "I've had a few of your lot. Strong and cocky just like you. Never seen a Dhampir like you though. You are something special and my guess is that you taste amazing." He bent his head a took a long drag up my neck. It felt slimy and unnatural just being close to him. He smelled gross and even over the burning heap of his friend, he smelled rotting, like a pile of old moldy leaves.

He pushed me back in the direction of my car. "Get in," he commanded picking the keys up off the ground and spinning the key ring around his pinky finger.

I was well and truly torn. Getting in the car almost certainly guaranteed that Quinn would live. Someone would notice the smoke soon and hopefully find him. However, I knew my chance of survival would drop drastically. The statistics on abduction were fact, and that was against other humans/ This was a scary sad statistic. I really didn't want to end up a statistic. My only saving grace would be the anti theft lojack in the car.

I stumbled my way to the passenger side door and paused. If I got in this car there would be no guarantees, but Quinn would have a shot. If I turned and ran now he would go back and kill Quinn just to spite me. I could feel my knees getting weaker and I wasn't sure I had it in me to fight this thing.

The phone in my back pocket began buzzing again. There was no way I was walking away from them. Quinn and Mason wouldn't want me to give up and get into the car. All the time my mother and I spent practicing and scouring books for spells to help with our protection. She would be ashamed of me for getting in this car and not fighting. I stepped back away from the car door and took off running over to Quinn. I leaned down and just as I pulled the stake out of his inside coat pocket Mr. Red shirt had a hold of my neck in one of his ridiculously strong hands.

"What now you want to fight?" he growled. "If you want me to drain you here I'm happy to do that. You'll thank me when you wake up."

He pierced my neck so quickly that the crippling pain sliced through me. Everything started to feel fuzzy and I started to wonder why I was fighting. This felt like being the good kind of drunk, just when the buzz was good, but you weren't puking yet. I felt tingly like when I was with Mason. Mason. I wasn't going to see ever Mason again.

Something snapped in my consciousness and I raised my free hand to try to beat him off of me, but he wouldn't budge. I could feel the rumble of his laugh against my chest.

That just pissed me off. I gathered everything inside of me all the hate, want, anger, resentment, and love I could feel in my body and pulled together one last red orb. Reaching my hand toward him I grabbed his throat and instead of pushing him away I send the ball right at him point blank range.

I felt myself fly backward landing harshly on my butt. I was relatively sure the phone in my pocket was smashed on impact because it stopped buzzing at the same moment.

There was a huge whole in Mr. Red shirts neck and I could see deep red tendons and parts of broken bone peeking out of the gash. This guy was strong and his body was knitting its self back together right before my eyes. I needed to move quickly. I knew what the stake was and where it needed to pierce to end this nightmare. I had some good general knowledge of anatomy, but I no experience. Pulling the loose fabric away from his chest I found his heart and with every measly bit of strength I had in me I struck. Hard and deep in the heart. Bullseye.

I bent over bracing my hands on my knees for support. Pulling my phone out of my pocket the shattered screen confirmed that my phone hand been smashed. I lunged for Quinn and kneeled beside him. He was still taking steady shallow breaths and his skin was cool. Blood was still seeping out of the wound on his head making a small puddle on the cement. I checked his pockets and tried my best not to jostle him.

Digging through is front pants pockets I found his cell phone. Fortunately, he hadn't fallen on it. In a fog of frustration and exhaustion I fought with the droid nightmare until I pulled up Quinn's contact list.

"Rose," I squeaked. She picked up on the first ring.

"Paris what's going on?" Rose asked quietly, "Why are you calling me on Quinn's phone?"

"Rose," I pleated.

She let out a few quick breaths. "Paris you're scaring me. Mason just busted in my room and told me he hasn't been able to get a hold of you. Why did you turn off your phone? Wait listen I'm going to put you on speaker phone. Mason's here."

"No, I need an Alchemist and a medic quickly Rose," I tried to explain.

"What's an Alchemist?" I heard Mason shout through the phone.

"Paris where are you?" Rose said in a new ultra-calm voice.

"I am sitting in the middle of three bodies here Rose. If I don't get an Alchemist out here soon no amount of compulsion is going to help me."

"Okay Paris, you know what the Alchemist is going to want to know? You have the codes?" Rose asked succinctly.

"Yes," I told her confidently. I'll text you our address I need a medic for Quinn. He's stable for now, but he has a bad head wound that going to need some attention."

"Paris listen to me for one more second. How many Strigoi?"

"Two."

Someone cursed loudly and I heard something smash on the other end."You need to get away from them. Even if you have them injured they'll regenerate," Rose explained, "they play chicken Paris. Stay on your toes."

"It's okay I'm confident they aren't getting back up," I tried to reassure them as I glanced back over at the crispy fried Strigoi. My green shirted attacker still laid on the ground with the stake buried deep in his chest.

"The alchemist isn't going to want to move in until the sight is secured. They need you to be absolutely sure that they are dealing with only dead Strigoi here. You know Alchemists are prizes for them."

"I know, one is burned almost completely and the other has a stake buried in his chest."

Rose let out a long breath."Good, you are doing really good Paris. Dimitri and I are moving through the lobby right now. We need that address. You need to call the Alchemists. I'm going to hang up now, but if anything happens call me back."

I could clearly make out Dimitri and Mason arguing in the background. There was a shuffling sound like Rose dropped the phone and Mason yelled distantly. I wouldn't want to be the one to have to tell Mason he was staying at the resort.

"Okay, I will and Rose be careful the roads are all black ice."

She let out a small laugh, "Don't you find it a bit strange that you are telling us to be careful right now."

I hung up and immediately retrieved the white bag with Jill's soon to be engagement ring inside. Printed neatly on it in delicate gold lettering was the address of the store.

Calling the Alchemists was not a fun job. I had only done it once before when my mom couldn't get to me fast enough. I carefully dialed the number and put the proper codes in when prompted. This was for their protection. The alchemists only wanted to be called out on legitimate business, the last thing they wanted was to be part of a cover up of an actual murder.

A woman answered the phone and after giving her a brief run down of the situation she assured me she would be there in minutes. For the first time since I saw Quinn's body lying on the ground I let out a relieved breath. This wasn't over, but I was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I found some blankets in the back of our rental car and wrapped them around Quinn. He was starting to shiver and I was hoping it was because he was cold and not because his body was going into shock.

I grabbed a bottle of water and began to chug it. My hair was starting to smack me in the face as the wind swirled around me. Sticky red blood streaked my blonde hair and spread through my pony tail. I probably looked like an extra from a horror movie. I was still bleeding, but I didn't have anything to push against my neck wound.

My head snapped to the side as a cobalt blue 1960 Ford Starliner pulled up along side of the alley. A thin blonde woman made her way out of the driver side door with a large tan leather bag.

She stuck her hand out and gave me a firm hand shake. "You must be Paris." She said with a smile.

I was slightly taken aback. I had always been told Alchemists were cold and distant, but there was no fear in the woman's eyes.

"Yes, hello," I said cautiously, "pleasure to meet you." My words hung in the air.

"Zoe," she finished for me.

I gave her a small nod, "Nice car. Thanks for coming so quickly."

"Nothing like a classic car," You need some help?" the woman asked glancing at the slice on my neck.

"I'm okay it's just a flesh wound," I told her cupping the right side of my neck with my hand. I moved over to Quinn and crouching down beside him again. Reaching down I ran a soothing hand over his cheeks. A large SUV similar to our rental came screeching down the street and stopped so quickly the tires whined and skid to a stop. Turning toward Quinn I began to panic, "My friend Quinn here took a couple of bad blows to the head. He needs to be moved before hypothermia starts to set in, but I didn't want to do anything until his neck is secured."

"Well, that explains how you took care of two of these creatures," Zoe said surveying the bodies. "You don't even have your promise marks yet," she gasped glancing at the back of my neck.

"Paris is still in training," Rose said vaguely. "Rose Hathaway," she spoke again, "medics are on their way for Quinn. Can you take care of these bodies for us please?"

"Zoe Sage," she beamed up at Rose and again stuck her hand and briskly shook hand with Rose. "Your girl here did good, especially for a newbie. These two have been reeking havoc all over the county. I've been called out on a dozen murders just this week. They were sloppy," she motioned to the pair, "Paris saved a lot of lives tonight."

Rose's mouth hung open in an uncharacteristic silence. My head snapped up at the mention of her last name and for the first time during the ordeal I wanted to cry. I wanted to sob and flail around like a baby.

"Since Paris is still new could you please confirm this one dead for me," Zoe gestured toward Mr. Green shirt the stake still pointing out of his chest.

Rose snapped out of her stupor and moved toward the Stigoi. "Paris come here a second," she motioned at me to join her. "You did a great job putting it in the right place. That's where most of us mess up. Next time you need to make sure you really get it in his body," Rose pushed forcefully on the stake and I heard a loud unnatural crunching sound come from his chest. "Not much chance of him regenerating in this state but, you don't want another Strigoi to come along and pull it out." Rose turned the Strigoi's head to the side and revealed the gaping whole in his neck. She let out a long breath, "if you could have found something sharp it might have been possible to get his head the rest of his head off. It's the only sure way to know they're dead."

I nodded still completely dazed.

Dimitri moved the medic team swiftly into place. Within moments they had him on a stretcher and into a warm vehicle. A skinny Dhampir man that I had never seen before asked me a few questions about Quinn. I told him about his blows to the head and how long he had been unconscious. Quinn was getting help and I could finally breathe. He was going to be alright.

Zoe took several different solvents out of her bag and completely dissolved Mr. Green shirt. Moving over to the former Mr. Red shirt Zoe shook her head and covered her mouth, "No need to confirm this one." The smell still billowing off of the body was foul.

Rose glanced at the body and looked up at me and spoke hesitantly, "Quinn take care of this one?"

I shook my head softy, "No, they knocked him out first." The words were stuck in my throat. I wanted to lie and tell them all that Quinn was a great hero that saved me, but I wasn't sure how much Quinn might remember. I really didn't want to be caught in a lie. I didn't want the look of approval and acceptance Rose was beaming at me either. Each time she talked to me or moved around me she seemed cautious, like I might spook at any moment.

"What did you use to burn this one?" Dimitri spoke to me for the first time and rubbed his hand reassuringly across my back.

Zoe picked up the white bucket that I had spilled on Mr. Red shirt. She turned the bucket and pointed at the letters NuBCR. "Industrial solvent used for cleaning jewelry and jewelry machinery. Extremely flammable. Bright girl you got, glad she's on our side." The deep purple liquid ran down the side of the bucket, but Zoe dropped it before it reached her hands.

Dimitri eyed me with interested, but I couldn't meet his gaze.

"Dimitri," Rose interrupted, "this is Zoe, Zoe Sage. She's been very helpful."

Dimitri's head jerked up, but he quickly recovered. "Thank you Ms. Sage for all of your help. We need to get out of here before we attracted anymore attention. It's been a pleasure," Dimitri said diplomatically.

"You are welcome," Zoe reached into her bag and pulled out two white business cards. She handed one to Rose and one to me. "If you are in this area again call me directly. It's so much faster than calling the hotline. The passwords can be a pain in the butt."

I looked down at the card and saw my aunts number on the card. I tucked it safely into my pocket.

"Take care of yourself Paris," Zoe said with a small wave as Rose steered me toward the two SUVs.

"I don't have the keys," I said distantly. I beginning to sway on my feet. Soon I wouldn't even be able to stand.

"We got them," Dimitri said reassuringly and turned toward Rose. "Do you think that she needs the medics?"

"No! I just need some orange juice," I told him and climbed on my hands and knees into the middle of the backseat of my SUV.

I wasn't sure who was driving their car back and I didn't ask. I just curled up in a ball and sunk into the warm leather. Someone had started the car and given it a chance to get toasty. My fingers were so cold they started tingling when the warm air hit them.

Dimitri pulled out of the alleyway and stopped at the first gas station that we came across. While he jumped out Rose pulled the backing off of a large bandaid. "You are going to want to cover that up. When we get back I'll make sure you get some of our special disinfectant we use for bites." She paused, "I'm sorry about Zoe."

"She was kind though," I said a twinkle of a smile across my face,"Not like the rest of them."

Rose returned my smile, "Yeah, and pretty too. Just like your mom."

"Dad!" I yelped.

"It's okay," Rose turned around in her seat and grabbed my hand,"Dimitri called him when we got to you. He knows you're alright. Even if he wanted to come the resort is on lock down. He'll be waiting in the lobby for us. You can call him if you want to."

I let out a long breath and sunk back into the seat. "I got pushed backwards and landed on my phone," I said holding up the cracked remnant of my iphone.

"Geez you sure you didn't break anything? Sometimes the adrenaline masks the pain at first," Rose asked as Dimitri hopped back into the driver's seat.

"Wow it's cold," he shivered and handed the large plastic bottle of Tropicana back to me. "Wasn't sure how much you wanted so I just got the big one."

"Thanks," I said cracking it open and gulping down a quarter of the bottle without stopping.

"Mason!" I shrieked remembering the hollering I heard earlier on the other end of the phone.

Rose and Dimitri exchanged an uncomfortable look. An awkward silence fell between them that seemed heavy with meaning.

"He'll be waiting too," Rose nodded at me. "Mason wanted to come with us, but we weren't sure what kind of shape you were in."

I sighed taking another swig of the magic yellow liquid, "I understand." They didn't know what kind of shape I was in and it makes sense that they didn't want to bring him into a dangerous situation.

We pulled back up to the gate guard and Dimitri leaned out of his window with his ID. Dimitri parked the car in the lot instead of pulling up to the door. He turned around in his seat and asked, "You need a second Paris or are you ready to go in?"

I took a chug of the sweet orange nectar and met his eyes, "I'm okay. I think I'm ready to go in. I'm sure Dad's waiting," I said cautiously and looked toward the lobby doors. What I really meant was Mason and Eddie were probably losing their minds with worry, "The juice really helped. I needed some sugar."

Rose smiled, "I little sugar in your blood will help you not go into shock." Dimitri grunted in agreement. "I have to say Paris you are doing surprisingly well. After my first encounter with a Strigoi I was practically comatose. No one's going to think less of you if you break down. You might feel better," Rose encouraged.

I gave her a sad vacant smile.

"This wasn't your first encounter was it Paris?" Dimitri asked slowly.

I shook my head from side to side slowly and fixed my eyes on the calorie content of the orange juice I had just inhaled. I couldn't meet their gaze."

Flinging open his door Dimitri swore under his breath.

I opened the door behind him and stumbled a bit getting to my feet. Dimitri helped me steady myself and asked kindly, "Would you like me to carry you? It's been a tough night for you."

I paused a second to consider his offer, "I think I better if I go in under my own power. Don't you? It might scare everyone if they think I can't walk."

Dimitri nodded understandingly and offered me his arm. I slid my hand onto the inside crook of his elbow and the three of us moved uncharacteristically slowly toward the doors. The orange juice helped, but I was still feeling extremely weak.

Rose wasn't kidding when she told me the resort was on lock down. Two guardians stood outside each of the three sets of doors. No one appeared to be going in or out. There were no cars arriving under the carport and no valets were running baggage on carts.

I locked eyes with Myron, the annoying know it all guardian that had insulted me earlier in the day. An "I told you so" expression was written all over his face. His dark eyes followed us as we walked up to the door he was guarding. I couldn't met his face.

"Any word on Quinn?" Rose asked Myron as he opened the doors for us.

"No, he just arrived a few minutes ahead of you," Myron said gravely.

I stopped suddenly in place halfway into the entry way. "They brought him here," I asked suddenly incredibly emotional.

"It's the most secure place they had," Rose reassured me, "the roads are getting worse, it was the safest option. Quinn's going to need some rest, but he's going to be fine." She rubbed my back and pulled me gently out of the frigid air.

Myron didn't say anything more, but shook his head disapprovingly in my direction.

A terrible thing happen to Quinn. I had faced real walking, talking demons. Horrible things happened to people all the time. Even as I walked into the lobby weak and bleeding I still couldn't understand why this culture of people thought the solution was to lock yourself away.

The usually bustling lobby of the resort was eerily quiet. As the three of us came further into the building I could feel the eyes fixed on me and whispers swirled around us.

I expected to be met by my father or Jill, but the first face I saw was Mason's. He stood by the enormous fire place. The same place I had stood a few days before when I had seen him for the first time. Mason's incredible chocolate eyes pierced me the same way they had the day I met him and I wanted to run into his arms, but I couldn't. I couldn't run anywhere, I could barely walk.

Mason stood silently as I shuffled toward him. As he took in my appearance his eyes got huge and he gave me an anguished smile. I pulled my ponytail over my right shoulder self consciously and tried to hide the large bandage.

I expected a mixture of emotions from Mason. I thought for sure he was going to be angry with me for leaving the safety of the resort. I had a feeling he was going to feel guilty for not keeping me safe and I was sure everyone would be heartbroken that Quinn was injured. What I wasn't prepared for was the raw emotion that ripped through us both.

Without looking back I let the go of the security of Dimitri's steading arm and took a few steps toward Mason. He didn't say anything he just gazed at me like he wasn't sure I was real. The heat of the fire place in front of me hit me like a warm blanket. Mason reached out for me and grabbed the tops of my shoulders. He pulled me flush with his body and closed his eyes. Resting his forehead against mine his hands slowly slipped up the back of my neck and cupped my head possessively behind my ears.

"I'm okay," I said softly breaking the tense silence.

Mason let out a pained moan and I leaned further into his grasp.

"Really Mason, I promise, I'm totally fine," I slowly told him.

He pulled back away from me. A sudden look of terror striking his face, but he was painfully speechless.

I wasn't sure what to say to reassure him and despite the support Mason was giving me I could feel my knees getting weak.

Desperate to snap him out of his daze I spoke to him gently in Russian, "Nikolai I'm here with you."

Mason jerked me forward kissing me firmly. This wasn't a sloppy tongue kiss. This was a quick, hard, possessive statement of affection and it was incredibly romantic. Standing there with a dozen pairs of eyes on us I felt complete. This was bigger then both of us.


	17. All's Well That End's Well

My head suddenly felt incredibly heavy. A low buzzing sound started softy in my ears, but quickly took over in my head. My eyes closed on their own and all I could see blackness.

Rose's angst ridden voice cut through me, 'What did she call him?"

I couldn't remember falling, but I could feel the cold floor on the palm of my hands. My eyelids felt too heavy to open so I shook my head from side to side trying to wake up. Small pieces of the conversation around me were registering, but it all felt like a dream. A bad dream.

"Geez her neck is still bleeding," Dimitri pointed out.

"Not here Adrian," Abe commanded, "we need to get her upstairs."

"I got her," Mason said softly and I could feel his warm moist breathing on my forehead.

I awoke with a start. The vision of red eyes had made its way through my deep sleep. Paisley's concerned eyes gazed at me. She sat on the chair by the bed staring at me with wide eyes.

"They left you to babysit?" I tried to joke, but my dry voice cracked.

Paisley's face softened, "What, no I was worried about you. When I came to check on you Mason asked me to sit with you for a second. He hadn't left the room since they brought you up."

My fingers felt up for the gash at my neck. I was expecting to feel a new bandaid or maybe a few stitches, but the skin felt was smooth and oddly untouched. My father must have healed me. He could fix the cuts and scrapes, but there wasn't anything that he could do for my exhaustion. I needed to sleep that off. "How long have I been out?"

Paisley shrugged, "Not too long, maybe an hour. You made quite an entrance."

I flinched imagining the spectacle that I must have created. "How much of it did you see?"

"We were all down at the pool when the resort went on lock down," Paisley explained. "Nobody had any idea what was going on. Just to be nosey Andrew, Mathew, and I walked down to the lobby. We didn't really think that we'd find out what was going on, but Mason was pacing around like a mad man. Eddie and Alex were trying to calm him down. We didn't see you anywhere and Mason was so upset, we figured you might have been involved somehow."

"Did you see Quinn brought in?" I asked sadly.

Paisley nodded, "We only caught a glimpse, but you could tell he was unconscious. They had him laid out on some kind of stretcher. One of the guardians called for your Dad."

"That's probably why I didn't see him when we came in," I frowned. If they needed help from my Dad, Quinn must have been in really bad shape. "How did I get up here?"

"Hey, take it easy," Paisley squealed as I tried to sit up. She fixed a pillow behind my head and put the back of her hand on my forehead like a mother checking a child for a fever.

"I'm not sure exactly. You kind of collapsed and the crowd closed in on you. The next thing I saw was Mason carrying you in his arms with Abe and your Dad following behind," Paisley grinned.

I flushed and buried my face in my hands, "O God that's mortifying."

"No way," Paisley shook her head insistently, "it was totally swoon worthy. Mason scooped you up like you weighed nothing. The crowd parted and let him through. Mason looked totally freaked out, but he wasn't letting anyone near you."

"Where did Mason go?" I asked sitting up and dangling my feet over the side of the bed. The exposed vulnerable feeling I felt walking into the lodge was back in full force and I needed Mason to chase it away. He was a soothing balm to my insecurities.

Paisley pointed to the adjoining door. "There was some commotion in your Dad's room he went to check it out. "Is there anything you need, anything I can do for you?" Paisley's concern was so endearing I wanted to hug her.

"I'm starving. Could you order up some room service? Some pasta maybe or lasagna?" I asked stretching my stiff arms up over my head.

"Yeah absolutely," Paisley nodded happily. Just as she got up to retrieve the room service menu a loud bang like a resounding knock landed on the adjoining door. Someone was throwing their shoulder into it or someone was being thrown into it.

"Was that the sound you heard earlier?" I asked concerned. Paisley nodded quietly and stepped back farther into the room to use the phone.

While Paisley's back was turned I stood up. My head was swimming for a second, but I quickly recovered and lunged for the door. I pulled the door open and was immediately assaulted by loud yelling and shocked gasps.

A sea of faces all turned toward me.

"Paris what are you doing out of bed?" Abe spoke up.

I gave him a disgusted look and lied, "I'm okay. What's all the banging about?"

"Just a disagreement," my father said with a shaky voice. He looked pale and vacant.

Mason had positioned himself in between our fathers and Rose looked sick to her stomach. Whatever this disagreement was, it was obviously about me.

"Here come sit Paris," Dimitri motioned to a chair.

"No, tell me what's going on." I demanded, "Why would you be fighting with my father after he used spirt, twice? Don't you know what it does to him?" I looked around the room searching the faces for an answer.

"We are just getting some confusion cleared up," Abe said glaring at Dimitri.

I ignored them and looked to my father, "How's Quinn?"

"Quinn was in bad shape Paris," Dad admitted. "His skull was broken, probably in more than one place. I'm sure he was having some swelling in his brain. If they hadn't gotten him here when they did I'm not sure I could have done much to help him."

The breath caught in my throat and tears welled up in my eyes.

"Quinn's okay," Rose assured me, "they got him here in time. I saw him about fifteen minutes ago and he was awake. The doctors are just doing some tests to make sure he's fully healed."

"O" I blew out. Relief assaulted me. "Then you healed me?" I asked reaching up to my neck.

"Yeah," my father confirmed. He was looking worse by the minute.

"Why are you arguing now? You need to go lay down," I said desperately.

"Well, I would," he started raising his eyebrows and looking pointedly at Dimitri, "but I'm just finishing up a discussion."

"Yeah we were just finishing up here," Rose repeated and frowned at her husband. "We need to sit down and do a debriefing Paris. When you're feeling up to it."

"A debriefing?" I echoed.

"It's not a big deal," Dimitri added, "we just need to ask you some questions about what happened and make sure their isn't anymore the guardians need to do. Sometimes it leads us to other Strigoi or humans adding them. You never know what we can uncover."

I could feel the look of terror moving over my face.

My father moved in front of me and ushered me back toward my room. "You need to eat. Come on back in your room and get some food brought up and relax a little. You can do the debriefing thing later."

I made eye contact with Mason and he followed me back into my room and shut the door behind us.

"What was that all about?" I tried to ask him, but he just shook his head at me.

"Hey Paisley," Mason spoke up, "thanks for staying with Paris. Could you give us a moment?"

"Sure. I'm glad you're feeling better," she said with a smile, "I ordered you some food, it should be up in a few minutes."

I reached over and squeezed her hand, "Really Paisley thanks."

"I'll see you later at the party." Paisley walked to the door and left with a little wave.

"You still want to go to the whole New Years celebration?" Mason flinched, "You know it's going to be formal with dancing and all that crap."

My face split into a huge smile, "Yes, I do." I wrapped my arms around his waist and looked up into his lovely chocolate eyes, "I'm sorry I ruined our last day together."

"You didn't ruin anything," He said the relief evident on his face.

"I heard you came to my rescue downstairs," I teased him. "Paisley assured me it was very romantic.

Mason flinched but met my eyes, "I wasn't there when you needed me."

"Don't you dare blame yourself Mason. What happened to day was in no way your fault," I practically yelled at him, "I'm fine and so is Quinn that's all that's important."

He flinched and closed his eyes briefly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not at all," I said shaking my head.

"I understand, but can I ask you one question?" Mason said sweetly.

I nodded and laid my head on his chest.

"Why didn't you run? I looked at google maps. There were stores and other businesses around you could have hid in and called for help. Why did you stay and fight?"

"That's more than one question," I said into his chest.

"Paris," he warned.

I pulled away and walked over toward my bed. "There's a pretty simple answer with a complicated explanation. I couldn't leave Quinn. I didn't see them hit him, but I could tell he was in no position to protect himself. He left the lodge for me. If he hadn't he would have never been hurt. I guess some of it was guilt and some of it was obligation, but I like Quinn. He's a good guy. He didn't deserve to die in an alleyway alone. I guess no one does."

Mason blinked, "You are incredible. Do you have any idea how brave that was? How bad the odds were that you would get out of there alive?"

"I guess I wasn't really thinking about it," I told him timidly.

Mason walked over and sat on my bed. He pulled me over to stand between his legs. Even though Mason was sitting, I was still only a few inches taller than him. "I know I apologized for how I treated you when we first met, but truly Paris I was so wrong about you. You have an amazing character." He reached up and pulled my chin so I was forced to look at him. "I was so scared you wouldn't come back. I'm so glad you aren't going to be a guardian. This isn't the life I would want for you." Mason pulled at my blonde hairs still caked in blood.

I was so overwhelmed with love and pride that I couldn't speak. I just wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. Mason responded with a soft lingering kiss where my neck had been healed.

"Why don't you go grab a quick shower and I'll wait for the food?" Mason offered.

Mason made it seem so normal I couldn't turn him down. He didn't even flinched when I came out of the bathroom with my hair all wrapped up in a towel. We spent the next hour chatting and cuddling. I ate an absurd amount of spaghetti and garlic bread, that didn't deter us from the occasional kiss. My mother called and I assured her I was fine and that I would fill her in on everything when I got home. It was comfortable. It was us.

Around ten o'clock Rose came knocking on my door and asked me if I was ready to do the debriefing. I didn't have any real reasons to refuse her. Despite Mason's usual overprotectiveness they wouldn't let him come with me. My father looked much better after some rest and a shower. He also had a chat with my mother and she had an uncanny ability relax him.

Walking into the conference room was intimidating. Several pairs of appraising eyes stared in my direction. Rose, Dimitri, Eddie, and Myron were the faces that I recognized sitting at the oblong table. There were a few men that I had never seen before and a older Moroi woman that had a computer to dictate the conversation.

Most of the questions they asked me seemed fairly routine. Rose was particularly patient and cautious with her questioning. She was still waiting for me to fall apart. The guardians basically wanted to know what happened. My Dad sat beside me and held my hand supportively but, the room gave me the distinct feeling of being a naughty child called into the principle's office.

Rose and Eddie believed my recant of the story, but the others took some convincing. It was hard to get them to believe that I was able to take down the two strigoi myself without Quinn's assistance. I wasn't looking for their praise or their acceptance.

Just when I thought that I couldn't take anymore questions the door opened and a very normal looking Quinn walked in. Jumping out of my seat I went right to him and threw my arms around his neck. For the first time hot fat tears poured out of my eyes and I buried my head into his chest. I felt Quinn wrap his arms around me and hold me tightly as I sobbed quietly into his chest. "I'm okay Paris, really," Quinn reassured me.

When I pulled away my face felt hot with embarrassment. I had soaked Quinn's shirt, but he didn't seem to notice. He gave me a patient smile. Quinn sat down with me and helped confirm the parts of the story that he remembered. He had been hit from behind and knocked out before he had a chance to warn me. Quinn confirmed that he hadn't helped me kill either of the Strigoi, which just generated more questions.

The worst part of the questioning was that everyone seemed to be blaming Quinn. Sure he could have gone back and done a sweep of the alleyway, but it seemed plausible that the Strigoi had been laying in wait for us.

The guardians final recommendation was to go back and question some of the people working at the jewelry store. There was a strong possibility they had been either working with the Strigoi or being threaten by them.

"So what are we going to do with her now," Myron asked the group. He didn't even have the decency to look at me when he said it.

"What do you mean, do with her?" my father asked sarcastically.

An incredibly guilty looking Eddie spoke up, "Paris do you think that you can go home after all of this, or do you think that you would feel better being some place more secure?"

"Our home is secure," my father insisted. "We have wards and a safe room. Sydney and I have done everything we can to make our family safe. After everything that we've been through do you think that we would jeopardize our family."

"We know your house if safe Adrian," Rose said trying to calm him, "but Paris has to go to school. She has to leave your home to live her life." Rose turned her attention to me, "I understand your grandmother has expressed some interest in you attending an academy."

I shook my head, "I'm not interested."

Rose patted my hand compassionately, "You've made some friends here, it's not like you'd be all alone. I'm sure Alex and Mason would help you."

"No, Mason has enough going on this semester without being my tour guide and I appreciate your concern. I really do, but what I need to do is put this whole horrible mess behind me."

Rose and Dimitri shared a look that I couldn't place. Eddie and my father nodded at me as I stood up.

"Wait a minute," Quinn spoke up for the first time. "Paris is still eligible for two monlija marks either way right?"

The entire room went quiet and everyone turned to Quinn.

"Paris saved me there's no doubt about it. She single handedly took down two Strigoi. Quinn insisted, "Paris earned the right to the monlija marks if she wants them."

No one spoke up to contradict him.

My father turned to me a bit shocked at the turn in conversation, "Is that something that you might want Paris?"

The pride and warmth in Quinn's eyes was overwhelming. "I have a good friend here that's an incredible tattoo artist. Paris would be in good hands."

"Can I think about?" I asked him cautiously.

"Absolutely," Quinn said with a small smile.

I was the first one out of the room. I wasn't running exactly, but I didn't want to spend another minute in the suffocating room.

Mason stood up and followed me into the hallway. He didn't say anything, but I was sure the look on my face told him all he needed to know. Mason dutifully followed me back to my room rubbing small soothing circles on my back the whole way.

"I'm going to leave you here," Mason said sweetly as we approach my door. I looked at him questioningly, but he continued, "We both need to get ready. I promised my girl dancing and kissing at midnight."

I gave him an uncharacteristic giggle, "You wouldn't want to let her down would you?"

"Nope," Mason said tugging my pony tail playfully, "you going to walk down with your Dad?"

"Probably," I nodded expecting a kiss goodbye, but Mason disappeared with a small wave.

Walking in to the room the sight of Mason's blue zip up hoodie made me grin. He kept surprising me.

It was easy to busy myself with getting ready. I had a black dress all picked out, but a dress I had never seen before had been pressed and laid out for me. Another subtle hint from my ever helpful grandmother. It was a magnificent silk floor length dress in a deep violet color. There was a deep dip in the front that made a dramatic plunge all the way down to my belly button. The straps wrapped around so that there was practically no fabric covering my back. A clip covered in emerald sparkles was placed to look like it was holding all the fabric strategically in place. I was not going to look sixteen in this dress, but the dress was so fantastic I wasn't sure I cared. It was either going to be way over the top, or just enough.

After taking my grandmother's special earrings out of my safe and putting them on I gave myself some dramatic make up. I completed the look with a smokey eye and slipped on the dress. It fit flawlessly and I took a few seconds to stare at myself in the mirror. Underwear was not an option in this dress and it made me feel oddly naked even though all the important parts were covered.

A knock at the door startled me out of my daze. I opened the door to find Jill almost hystarical with panic.

"O my God," she said lunging for me and touching my face like she wasn't sure I was real. "I can't believe you were hurt. I'm going to kill your father and when I find out Eddie's part in all this he's toast too."

I gave her a small indulgent smile, "Do be too hard on them. I can be rather persuasive when I want to be."

"I would have come sooner," Jill spoke quickly and stepped into my room, "but, your Dad was pretty messed up after healing Quinn. I haven't felt that out of it in a long time. I'm not sure how your Dad was even holding it together."

"Yeah, I feel really bad about that," I cringed.

"Well, from what I've heard of the story you shouldn't," Jill told me pointedly. "I'm proud of you." Jill didn't know the specifics of how my mother and I protected ourselves, but through her bond with my Dad she had made some assumptions."Wow look at you," Jill said pulling away and taking in my ensemble for the first time. "You look awesome!"

"Is it too much?" I asked self consciously and stepped back into my room. "Tell me the truth, I can change."

"Don't you dare!" Jill insisted. "Everyone is already talking about you, lets give them another reason." She winked. I was happy to see Jill in a floor length formal black dress that had a very high slit up her leg.

Jill reached over and blended some of the blush on my face,"Wow you look so grown up. I just don't have any words."

"Well, could you find some because I'm not sure I can walk out of here like this," I told her breathing quickly and motioning to the dress.

"My favorite words would be beautiful, lovely, or breath taking," my father said smarty as he came into the room.

"Do you think I should do something with my hair?" I asked. I had left to fall long liking the way it felt falling down and covering my back.

"No, Paris please believe me," my father said reaching out and grabbed my hand reassuringly, "if you looked any better poor Mason wouldn't survive the night."

"Okay," I said shakily.

"I so want to be mad at you," Jill growled at my him.

Dad laughed, "Yeah, but you just can't make yourself can you?"

Jill let out a long sigh, "No I really can't."

"I know you have had a hell of a day," he shrugged, "you want to go get a drink."

"I kind of do," Jill said truthfully.

The three of us moved downstairs to a room with an intimate cocktail party. It was a little before eleven and the room was buzzing with friends and family.

Seeing the three of us enter the room Eddie excused himself from his conversation and moved toward us. Jill scowled at the sight of him coming at her. She refused to meet his eyes and appeared to be punishing him with good old fashion silent treatment.

Jill moved to the middle of the room and took a glass of champagne off a tray from a server. Dinner would be served much later, but hor d'oeuvres and drinks were being passed.

"Come on Jill," Eddie said getting close to her, "you can't ignore me all night."

"I'm sorry Eddie I just can't understand. You won't tell me what your part in all of this was." Jill shook her head, "If you want me to trust me you have to be honest with me. I not a kid anymore. I can take it."

Dad and I took a step away from them, but most of us were very interested to see how there little scene would play out.

"You want to know where Paris went?" Eddie asked nervously.

I met Quinn eyes across the room and with a small shrug he walked over to stand with me. He politely offered me a drink and I immediately took a very unladylike gulp.

"Yes, Eddie, that's what I want to know," she sighed, "but, I don't think this is the right place for it."

Abe came over and gave me a supportive one armed hug as we all enjoyed the evenings first couple's spat.

Eddie looked up at me with nervous eyes, "Paris went into town for me. I had a package that needed to be picked up."

Jill stared at him and waited for further explanation.

"There's something that I've wanted to give you for a long time and it needed to be perfect. You waited long enough for it," Eddie said his voice getting quiet. There in front of everyone Eddie dug the ring box out of his pocket and got down on one knee. "I love you Jill, I always have. Will you marry me?"

Jill stood frozen in place, both of her hand covering her mouth in shock. After a moment her face relaxed and she nodded. With a small sob she squeaked out a small, "Yes."

The small room of people exploded in cheers and celebration. Rose wrapped an arm around me and gave me a sideways hug.

"You knew about this?" Dad said completely floored. "I can't believe I missed this."

After giving Jill a hug I stepped out of the circle of people congratulating them. I spotted Mason leaning against the wall one hand in his pocket the other holding a champagne flute. He was wearing a modern style tuxedo, unlike most of the men in the room, he wore a straight tie. It was totally sexist that even the sloppiest man could put on a tuxedo and look like James Bond when women practically killed themselves to be beautiful.

Mason crooked a finger at me and I dutifully joined him. "You look incredible," I said softly.

Mason gave me a modest smile, "You stole my line." He took a step toward me closing the distance between us and dipped his head to speak in my ear, "Everyone one in the room has noticed how gorgeous you are. You really should stand over here with me and stop stealing the attention away from Jill."

I swatted at his arm, "You're ridiculous."

"You did that," Mason said pointing at Jill laying a huge kiss on Eddie and pulling her hand back to admire her fabulous ring.

"I did not. Eddie and Jill have worked hard and sacrificed a lot to get to here," I stated with a grin, "I just assisted in the grand finale. You're just trying to butter me up so your evening ends well." I winked. "All's well that ends well."

Mason's face turned very serious, "O it will. Incredibly well."


	18. You're the Perfect Girl

Mason's roguish grin had me jittery. The night was flying by and midnight wouldn't be far away. I was taken off guard when Mason handed me my first glass of champagne, but he pointed out that it was a special occasion. We managed to stay tucked away in the corner unnoticed for the better part of an hour. Even with all the noise and music in the room Mason didn't take his eyes off of me. When I noticed Rose coming toward us with a camera we tried an unsuccessful escape.

"Mason Belikov don't you move a muscle," a very annoyed Rose yelled, "Did you think that you were going to slink away on your last night here?"

Mason shrugged and gave her his best innocent expression, "No of course not." Mason's smile could have melted butter.

"You look so handsome," Rose said tilting her head toward him and fixing his collar. "Don't you think so Paris?" Rose asked me slyly.

I smiled brightly biting back a chuckle, "Yes very handsome."

Rose looked extremely pleased, "Well then don't you think that we should take some pictures? I may never see him this dressed up again."

"Seriously?" Mason frowned.

"Yeah," Rose snapped back and took a couple of unfocused shots. "Paris move closer to Mason," Rose motioned. "Put your arm around her Mason! Come on, please smile."

I smiled knowing that Rose would probably send a copy of the pictures to my mother too. Mason pulled me back flush against his chest and wrapped his arms around my waist. He leaned close sending shivers down my neck and whispered into my left ear, "I'm going to need another glass of champagne after this."

We both giggled and let Rose take her pictures.

After complying with Rose's impromptu photo shoot. We each grabbed our second glass of champagne and tried to sneak out of the room. Mason slid his hand down my arm and linked our hands with a practiced ease. He pulled us toward the back exit and right into Abe.

"Where are you two headed," Abe said accenting the last few words. A sly knowing smile creeped across his face.

"Bathroom," I said too quickly.

Abe's eyebrows raised. "You need Mason to accompany you to the bathroom?"

"No," I squeaked out. I was really going to have to work on my fibbing. Mason closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Mason, come have a little chat with your grandfather while Paris excuses herself," Abe said winking at us.

"Okay old man," Mason said dropping my hand and grabbing the glass out of my hand.

I took a deep sad breath and gave them both a small wave. I stood watching Abe put his arm around Mason's shoulders and walk away before I left in the direction of the bathrooms.

Getting caught in my lie I took the opportunity to wash my hands and touch up my makeup. When I returned I scanned the room for Mason, but I walked right into my father.

"Come dance with me, please," he asked sweetly holding his hand out to me. "I want to get a dance in before I can't recognize the music." My father is an incredible dancer. He can even make my mother, who hates dancing, look like a pro. Even as a child I loved dancing with my father. I would stand on his feet and he would spin me around our living room. He was the one that insisted I take my first dance class and I had been hooked ever since.

An older man sat at a piano in the corner of the room with two women playing violins and another tall man with a cello, but no one was dancing to the classical music there were playing. "But, no one's dancing," I pointed out questioningly.

"So," Dad said taking my hand and pulling me toward the music, "never stopped me before."

We waltzed in a small area that had been marked off as a dance floor. There wasn't much room, but we easily glided around the space. Dancing with my father was so relaxing. I didn't need to think or stress. I could almost close my eyes and enjoy the freedom of the music.

Halfway through the song I noticed my father staring at my new earrings. "I can't believe that you grandmother actually gave them to you," Dad said stunned.

"I tried not accepting them, she doesn't really take no for an answer," I confessed.

Dad smiled, "No, I'm glad she did. They look amazing on you."

It's a fact that when a girl get a compliment from her father it has twice the effect that it would from anyone else. My father's comment made me proud and my back straightened.

When the song was over I noticed that both Eddie and Jill and couple that I didn't recognize had joined us.

"See," my father said teasingly, "I've always been a trend setter. Go find your friends I just wanted one dance." He looked almost sad to let me go.

Catching Mason watching us out of the corner of my eye I almost left, but decided one more dance wouldn't kill me. "One more dance?" I offered and he perked up taking my hand one more time.

Abe pulled Rose to the dance floor and tried to get her to move with the music. Watching Rose step all over Abe's feet I had to bite back a laugh. Rose was not a dancer. Dimitri stood with Mason laughing.

When the song ended I took a step toward Mason right as Rose grabbed my arm. "How did you get so good at that?" she asked spinning her pointer finger around in the direction of the small dance floor.

I giggled and shook my head, "Practice?"

"Got room on your dance card for one more?" Abe asked holding his had out to me. I let out a frustrated sigh and took his hand. Abe was ridiculously agile for his age. As we moved I could feel the train of my dress gliding behind me and prayed I wouldn't step on it.

After a hug from Abe I looked around the room for Mason. I didn't see him immediately, but I did see Jill coming toward me with a large martini glass in her hand. She twirled a glass stick into her drink and bit a large green olive off the end.

"I'm going to miss you so much Paris," Jill said sadly.

I frowned, "Don't worry about that now. Tonight is all about you. Let me see that ring."

Jill had been proudly showing it off all night, but the thrill hadn't worn off. She proudly presented it to me telling me all about how her grandmother had always promised it would be her's one day. I tried to listen, but after scanning the room I locked eyes with Mason. He was sitting with a group of guardians. Myron was talking and Mason looked like he wanted badly to escape.

A woman in a tight bun came over and passed a silver tray of cheese covered crostini. After two glasses of champagne I was grateful to have a little food going in my stomach

Just as Jill finished her story Eddie walked over to join our conversation. He wrapped his arms around Jill and whispered in her ear making her giggle.

I turned to give them privacy just as Eddie spoke, "Hey Paris are you still going to play for us?"

I let out a long breath. After all the earlier commotion I had forgot all about my promise to Eddie.

Jill spoke up excitedly, "You are going to play for us?"

"Sorry," I said wrinkling my forehead, "Alex has the music."

"Alex!" Eddie said in a deep commanding voice that cut across the room. When Alex looked up Eddie waved at him to come join our conversation.

"What's up love birds," Alex smiled brightly joining our small group.

Mason was now giving me sad eyes and looked antsy to break away.

"Do you have Paris' music?" Eddie asked.

Alex's face fell, "I left it in my room." He bit his lip nervously. "I can go run up and get it."

"No that's okay," Jill said sweetly it's almost midnight.

I let out the breath I didn't realize I had been holding. "I could always play it at your wedding."

Jill's eyes let up with excitement and I could tell planning her wedding was going to be something I wanted to stay out of.

"Can I steal you away?" Mason said suddenly coming up behind me.

"Please," I responded quietly.

Jill waved and behind me I heard her say, "They are so perfect together don't you think?"

I didn't turn to see Eddie's response.

"Thirsty?" Mason asked stopping a waitress and handing me another full champagne flute. The bubbles tickled my nose, but it was just sweet enough to quench my thirst.

"I never took you for much of a drinker," I said raising an eyebrow at Mason.

Mason leaned down close to me, but didn't touch me. "I'm not but, you have to relax sometimes right?"

"Right," I said taking another large sip. "If I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to get me drunk."

Mason snorted his drink coughing. When he was able to breathe again Mason gave me a wicked grin, "I don't need you drunk to get you in my bed Paris."

My mouth fell open and I looked around to make sure no one else heard us. "I don't think you can get drunk off of Champagne anyway," I said tartly.

Mason snorted, "You really think that I'd let anyone else hear me say that? I'm still a little afraid of you father."

"Three minutes till midnight," one of the musicians announced loudly.

I was itching to have Mason's hands on me. Anticipation coursed through me as the count down to midnight came closer, but Mason didn't make any move to touch me.

"You better hold up your part of the bet," I warned him.

Mason's eyes sparkled, "What bet? I don't remember a bet."

I felt the fury come across my face as the count down to midnight came closer.

"I don't need a bet to kiss my girl do I?" Mason said seriously.

"Ten, nine, eight.." the crowd chanted.

"No, you never need an excuse you kiss her."

"Seven, six, five, four."

The humor washed from Mason's face,"Damn right."

"Three, two, one. Happy New Year!" Everyone yelled in unison.

I reached up and clutched Mason's shoulders. He gave me an adoring smile and he gave me a quick soft peck. I pulled back and searched his eyes questioningly.

"Later," he said against my ear.

Taking the last sip of my drink I leaned back and asked, "Later what?"

"Paris if I told you what I plan to do to you later you would blush so brightly the whole room would know what we were talking about."

Before I could respond a familiar clicking sound went off and we both turned our heads toward the light.

"Jill," I shouted seeing her holding Rose's camera.

"Sorry I just wanted some pictures for a scrapbook," Jill stuttered.

Since when do you scrapbook?" I demanded stepping back away from Mason. My body suddenly feeling very cold.

My father, Rose, Dimitri, and Abe stood conspiratorially off the side. "Everyone ready to join the big party?" Rose asked breaking the awkward silence.

"The big party?" I asked cautiously.

"Just wait till you see this place," Jill said steering me toward the door. "They out did themselves this year."

We entered a huge ballroom twinkling with lights. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings making the room feel magical.

The whole resort was partying and have a great time ushering in the new year. The enormous ball room was covered with over the top decorations complete with a mini sparkling disco ball in the center of dance floor. Round tables were set up around the room and drinks were being passed liberally. People were everywhere dancing, chatting, and drinking. Most of the girls were dressed to the nines with much tighter and more revealing than mine. I was pleased to see that my ensemble wasn't even close to the most risqué.

A waiter promptly offered us each another glass of champagne and I took it without thinking.

"Slowly Paris," my father said pointing at my glass. "Have fun, but make sure you eat something, okay?"

I nodded wondering if he knew that I had already drank three others.

A huge dance floor moved together as loud thumping techno music blasted out of speakers.

"I'm going to pass on dancing tonight," Dimitri said firmly as Jill pulled Eddie out into the mass of moving bodies.

Rose pouted, "Just one dance?"

"Rose seriously my hips do not move like that," he tried to explain as she pulled him closer to the dance floor.

"Paris!" Paisley squealed shuffling toward me in ridicoulously high heals. "I'm so glad you're finally here. Come with me," she said pointing toward the ladies room.

After giving Mason a cute little wave and took off with Paisley.

"Your dress is awesome," Paisley said stopping at the sink and rubbing underneath her eyes removing her smudged eyeliner. "Is that a Madeline Rumme?"

"Thanks," I said looking down at my dress, tripping, and sliding into the sink luckily unharmed. "I have no idea who the designer is."

Paisley looked up concerned, "You okay?

I nodded with a goofy laugh.

"How many drinks have you had," Paisley giggled.

"Only a few and it was just champagne."

Paisley shook her head clearly amused, "Be careful that stuff will give you a killer hangover." Paisley smoothed the front of her dress with her hands and told me, "Madeline Rumme is a very popular Moroi designer, but it doesn't matter you fabulous."

I smiled motioning to her red halter dress, "So do you. I wish I had worn a halter I feel so exposed in this dress, like if I move the wrong way I'm going to fall out of it."

"Nope all you need is a little lip gloss," Paisley smiled handing me some pink glossy liquid as women shuffled around us in the crowded space. "It will attract Mason's attention. He won't be able to keep his eyes away from your mouth."

I gave her a devious glance and took the tube from her.

"Our whole group has a table. Come with me everyone's here," Paisley told me as we exited the bathroom and were immediately assaulted with the sound of The Black Eyed Peas blasting at us.

"I'm not sure," I yelled at her, "I need to find Mason."

Paisley nodded and pointed to the area I could find her.

I found Mason standing by the entrance with Alex and a familiar group of guys. I walked toward him stopping to run my hands boldly up and down his arms. I grabbed Mason's hands and rested my check on his back taking a deep pull of his incredible minty smell.

Mason pulled me toward around him wrapping his arms possessively around me. Damn he felt good.

"Hey Paris," Alex smiled. The rest of the guys stood staring at me in surprise.

I grinned and leaned back into Mason's hold, "Hey Alex and your Peter right?" I pointed at one of the guy in the group, "I met you at Mathew's party?"

"Ah yeah," Peter said as his eyes moved down the neckline of my dress.

I chewed my lip uncomfortably tasting the cherry of the lip gloss as Flo Rider began to Whistle behind me.

"I'm going to go find Paisley," I said uncomfortably pulling out of Mason's arms, "you want to come," I asked suggestively to Mason.

Mason grinned and leaned over to give me a quick kiss on the hinge of my jaw, "I'll be right there."

"How did he get her?" Peter asked dumbly.

I whipped my hair around and boldly responding with a shrug, "he's hot." The champagne had loosened my tongue and made me feel brave. I marched off in to find Paisley grabbing another drink on my way to the table.

It was easy to find Mathew moving on the dance floor. A circle of girls had formed around him watching him gyrate to the music. I threw my head back laughing at his attempt to be smooth. Seeing me approach Mathew walked past his group of admirers and crooked his finger toward me. I pointed at my new glass and Mathew took it from me and gulped down the rest handing the glass to one of the hopeful girls.

"Day-um Paris you could give a man some warning," Mathew said raising an eyebrow at me. He was wearing a very classic cut black tuxedo. His bow tie was a little crooked and I instinctively reached out to straighten it.

You look," He paused and shook his head, "I have no words."

I slid my arms around his neck comfortably, easily following the rhythm of Cher Lloyd's Playa Boi.

"Where's Mason?" Mathew asked me cautiously.

"He's here somewhere," I told him unconcerned as I Found You by The Wanted started playing and totally lost myself in the music.

Paisley joined us on the dance floor with Andrew trailing behind her. Even Alyssa came by dancing her way through our group. We all took turns dancing only taking a short break when small tapas plates were brought to the table. I didn't want to eat. Even though there were beads of sweat running down the back of my neck, I just pulled my hair back and kept on dancing.

During the first few bars of Beneath Your Beautiful began to play everyone paired off. It was the first slow song I had heard played and I was suddenly missing Mason.

Before I even had time to pout I felt his strong hands grab me and pull me toward him.

"You were watching me," I asked raising an eyebrow at him.

Mason grinned, "Yup, I sure was."

I frowned, "Why didn't you come dance with me?"

"I was giving you a little time with your friends," he said pulling me closer to him. Instead of smothering me, Mason was giving me a chance to spend time with the other people I was about to lose. In a weird way that was incredibly sweet.

Holding me close Mason didn't let me go as the tempo of the music sped up. I was finally calling in my marker.

Mason danced like I never imagined he could. His arms tight around me, his body moving perfectly time with the music. The look in Mason's eyes told me I was desirable. Probably because of the four glasses of champagne I had had, I wanted him to have me. I could feel clearly with each move he made against me that he was feeling the same. The thrumming beat of the bass was intoxicating. Mason never kissed me, but I could feel his hot breath on my neck and his hands burning through my dress and onto my hips. I slid my hands up his fantastic arms feeling his muscles bunch under his shirt. My breathing was erratic and heavy as I focused completely on his dreamy brown eyes.

I sang along with Kesha asking him in his ear if my love was his drug. Even touching my lips to his ears had me turned on. Mason locked eyes with me and nodded seriously.

"You got your dance," Mason said as the song ended and another quickly began.

I shook my head, "That's all I get? I want more, so much more."

"I'm going to give you more Paris, believe me" Mason promised, "I just don't want to do it here for everyone to see."

I nodded jittery with anticipation and let him pull me out the doors of the ballroom. Mason pulled me quickly into a small dark room. Shutting the door he pushed me gently against the wall bumping my head against a light fixture. I smiled at him laughing through the thick tension. "What are we doing in here?"

The room was dark, but I could make out Mason's serious expression with just the small light peeking underneath the door, "I couldn't wait until we got upstairs." Mason finally kissed me immediately deepening it and exploring my mouth with his tongue. He tasted fantastic, like champagne and minty spices. I felt his hands move down my nearly naked back and along the curve of my butt and I stood up on my toes to kiss him properly. Squirming upward I moaned loudly into his mouth. My hands began to explore wanting to touch Mason everywhere.

Mason broke the kiss pulling back slightly to tease me, "I'm hot huh?"

I laughed causing my chest to rumble and catch his immediate attention. "You so are," I groaned as I felt his hands move over the silk of my breasts. Leaning back onto the wall for support arched toward Mason's touch and gripped his shoulders. "Mason," I whispered.

"I think we need to go upstairs after all," Mason admitted, agreeing completely I nodded and let him pull me toward the elevators.

"I love this dress" Mason said running his fingers along the edges of the back of my dress. I busted out laughing as he ran his fingers along my extremely ticklish back.

Mason turned me and gently moved my hair onto my shoulder. He began kissing the back of my neck and held me firmly as he tortured me. For the first time I didn't care that people could see us through the glass wall of the elevator as I enjoyed my torment.

Surprising me Mason entered the key into my door and picked me up carrying me into the room. He swiftly sat me bar's high counter and left me to lock the adjoining door.

With deft fingers Mason slide the straps of my dress down, "You have the most amazing chest Paris. I am not a boob man, but I got to tell you I want to burn the memory of them into my brain." I couldn't help giggling at the feeling of his rough fingers.

I ran my fingers down his chest loosening his tie and impatiently yanked his shirt opened scattering little white buttons on the floor. We both busted out laughing as he quickly removed his dress and undershirt. I ran my fingers along the bumpy plains of his chest, "I love your stomach. You've ruined me for all other men. No one has a stomach like this."

"I don't want anyone else to ever touch you," he admitted.

I let out a small huff, "I don't want anyone but you to touch me, ever."

Mason shivered at my words. "I love the way you smell. I'm going to miss it so much," me leaned forward and kissed my hair.

"I love your hair," I told him running my fingers through his messy silky waves.

Mason moaned gently running his talented fingers down my arms. He spread my legs and stepped closer to me kissing me so deeply it stole my breath.

Wrapping my legs around his waist Mason dumped us on my bed skillfully without breaking our kiss.

"You're the perfect girl Paris. I'm so lucky for having known you, even if it wasn't for very long."

"What?" I said incredulously pushing him down on the bed, "I am so not perfect and stop talking like you are leaving. I want to enjoy every second that you're here."

"You are perfect for me."

"You're drunk Mason!" I laughed.

"Maybe a little," he admitted.

"I think I'm in love with you," I said into Mason's neck and laying down beside him.

Mason sighed, "I think you are the drunk one Paris."

"I definitely am, but it doesn't change the fact."

"No I guess it doesn't," Mason sighed. "I didn't mean to fall in love with you. It wasn't a good idea."

A deep yawn came out of my chest as I lay snuggled in Mason's arms, "I'm sleepy."

"I have to tell you something."

"In the morning," I protested, "wake me up before you leave."

"It will be too late in the morning."

"Um hum."

"Paris?"

"Paris, wake up."

Mason stood next to the bed in his tee shirt and tuxedo pants. "Paris I over slept. Wake up."

"What's wrong Mason?" I said faintly tilting my head away from my pillow.

"I have to go," he said frantically.

"Okay, I'll see you in a couple of hours," I said running my hand slowly down his arm.

Mason kissed my cheek gently, "Goodbye Paris."

The alarm on my phone went off a few times before I heard it. The first thing I noticed was that my mouth was incredible dry. So dry I couldn't speak and even the groan in my throat threatened to crack it open. Dragging myself out of bed I turned on the faucet and used my cupped hand to put water into my mouth. It wasn't enough, I wanted to turn my head and run the water directly down my throat.

I dressed quickly not caring if what I put on even matched. All I wanted to do was find Mason. Paisley told me their plane left at ten and it was just after one. That left a few Mason and me a few more hours precious hours. I really didn't care what we did as long as we did it together. I would watch him pack, heck I would pack for him.

I made my way to the dining room. Eating only small bits last night should have made me hungry, but I was sick to my stomach. I wasn't sure if it was because I drank way too much last night or because Mason was leaving. I was probably a mixture of the two.

I walked into the dinning room and shuffled over to the table Jill and my Dad were already sitting at. I plopped down into a chair and my Dad immediately slid a large glass of water toward me with a chuckle.

"You want some tylenol?" Jill asked me sympathetically.

"Nope I'm good."

"Eggs, with hot sauce," my father declared, "That's what you need. That's great hangover food."

Eddie gave Jill a kiss on her forehead and joined us, "All Paris needs is some coffee."

"You look just like Mason did," Rose said shortly sitting across from me at the table.

I looked up having a hard time focusing on her with all the bright lights in the room. "Where is Mason?" my father teased, "he should be paying for his night of partying just like Paris."

"Mason had a one o'clock flight," Dimitri said sitting at the table next to his wife.

"What, what did you say?" I could hear the panic in my one voice. Alex walked around the table and took the last seat at the table.

"Mason almost missed his flight," Rose snapped.

"Wait, Mason's gone, like gone on the plane and left gone?" I said slowly.

"He didn't tell you did he?" Alex said sadly grabbing my hand. "Mason hates goodbyes, probably thought this would be easier."

"Easier?" I mimicked.

I thought I had been shocked before, but nothing had ever prepared me for this. My mouth was wide open and I started to tremble. "Mason's gone? He left. I thought your flight wasn't until ten?" I asked Alex.

"Mason wanted to go early," Rose said slowly the snappy tone gone from her voice, "He took a commercial flight. We booked it months ago."

I was hyperventilating as I took in the sympathetic looks of the others sitting at the table.

_I hope everyone liked this Chapter. I love Mason, but he is human after all. More to come very soon. Remember if you are signed as a guest and you send me a question I can't respond to it. I always try and respond. Thanks for reading!_


	19. Too Many Lies

I was having some kind of out of body experience. Not only was my pride bruised, but I hated pity. Pity was what I saw on the faces of everyone sitting at the table with me. I skipped down the stages of grief directly to anger.

Mason had a million chances to tell me he was leaving this morning. In the end he treated me like the piece of trash I currently felt like.

"If you'd excuse me I'm not feeling well enough to eat," I said not meeting any of the compassionate looks. I stood quickly, throwing my napkin on the table and attempted to salvage a getaway.

"Umm Paris, sweetheart," my father spoke tentatively. He reached across the table and placed a small box in front of me.

I gave him an inpatient frown.

"It's a new phone. Abe sent someone out this morning. Quinn was insistent that you get a new one today."

Words continued to fail me, but I managed a quiet thanks.

Dad reached over and grabbed my hand. "Your grandmother has planned some kind of outing for the two of you today. If you'd like I can tell her you're not feeling up to it." The look of regret on his face only fueled my anger.

"No, that's fine. I don't mind," I said my voice getting hard, "that's after all why we're here right? Just text me the details." I got up and without looking back fled the room. In my mind I wasn't just leaving breakfast. I was running away from the pity and regret. I was giving up on the hopes and wishes I had for today, possibly for the future. Mason abandoned me. I was just a distraction from his everyday life. At least he was honorable enough not to sleep with me before he snuck off into the night.

"Should I go after her?" I heard Jill ask the table, but luckily someone talked her out of it.

I stomped to the elevator feeling like a child who lost their toy. I pushed the call button repeatedly in a vain attempt to call it faster to my rescue.

What had I been thinking? I knew Mason was leaving, but this small part of me wanted to hold on. I had been in denial from the beginning. When Mason told me we would be going our separate way I should have ended it with him. I wasn't programed for quick flings, I got too attached to people. It just wasn't who I was. I cared too much.

When the doors opened I let out a long jittery breath. Mathew and Paisley smiled at me, but could quickly tell by my expression that something was wrong.

"Hey Paris," Paisley said questioningly as she stepped toward me, "you want to join us breakfast?"

"No thanks." My face was getting red with embarrassment and they had no idea why.

Andrew came up behind Paisley wrapping his arms around her and whispering something seductively into her ear.

Cringing I stepped onto the elevator and averted my eyes from the PDA.

"Hey guys I'll catch up with you," Mathew told them and jumped back onto the elevator just as the doors closed. "What's wrong honey, where's Mason? I thought you two would be inseparable today." He looked questioningly at the depressing look on my face.

"I'm not sure where he is," I admitted slowly. "From what his mother and Alex just told me Mason is probably somewhere at 10,000 feet."

"Mason left," Mathew said disbelievingly, "and Alex was the one that told you?" Mathew spoke slowly like the words didn't taste right in his mouth, "He didn't even bother to say goodbye?"

I nodded and tried to swallow the lump of emotion strangling me.

Mathew's breathing increased and his face transformed into something fearsome.

"Don't get upset," I managed to huff out just before the first drops of moisture trickled down my face. "I knew it was coming, I knew that he was leaving. Just like you are."

Mathew pulled me toward him and I buried my face in his chest.

"Why am I crying? This is ridiculous!" I sobbed all over his designer sweater.

"I'm sorry," Mathew frowned as I pulled away, I could see him squeezing his fists.

I wiped my arm across my face spreading the a mixture of tears and snot onto my sweatshirt in a very unlady like way, "You have no reason to be sorry Mathew. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have," I paused trying to think of what exactly I regretted. We stepped out off the elevator and Mathew grabbed my hand squeezing it firmly.

"Hey the super guardian duo is coming this way," Mathew said pulling me away from him just enough to see Rose and Dimitri's eyes on us, "lets blow this popsicle stand."

I looked up surprised to see Rose and Dimitri stepping off of a second elevator. They must of left the table right after I had. I wasn't sure if they were following me, but I was sticking around to find out.

I linked arms with him and walked away from their regretful stares.

"Where are we going?" I asked Mathew figuring there was a good chance that he might not even know.

"Well, I need some food to absorb all the alcohol still floating around in my system," Mathew grinned, "and I suspect you are feeling the same way."

I nodded and let him lead me back to his room. Mathew put on some loud music that made our awkward silence more bearable and ordered room service. I was grateful he didn't ask me about Mason or what happened. I wasn't ready to talk about it. Honestly, I was probably going to be living in denial for the near future.

We ate ridiculously large waffles covered in real whipped creme, fresh strawberries, and rainbow sprinkles. All of which Mathew claimed was the best food for a hang over. He poured me many cups of coffee and told me hilarious stories about his life at school. It was fun, Mathew was fun. For a little while he let me forget about Mason leaving, my grandmother's expectations, and having to go back home. I wasn't going to be the same girl when I got home. In fact, I was starting to feel like I had no idea who I was.

"I'm going to miss you Mathew," I said gazing at the luggage that was neatly arranged in the corner of his room.

"Well, you can call me you know," Mathew smiled wiping some stray whipped creme off of his chin, "I know I'm going to call you."

"Thanks for this," I motioned to our impromptu breakfast. "It's going to be so strange going home after this week. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to go back to my old life, it feels like I was a totally different person when I arrived here."

"Why is that?" Mathew asked his face wrinkling in confusion.

I took a deep breath and looked at him seriously, "I have to lie to everyone, even my best friends. No one knows what I am, and none of my friends would understand if I told them. We don't exactly have a normal family. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't change them. I have a great family. It's just hard living a lie sometimes. It gets exhausting."

"You know you could always come with us," Mathew said poking me, "just think how happy you would make your grandmother."

"No," I replied my face totally void of any emotion, "Mason wouldn't like it. He made it very clear that I would not be welcome."

"Screw Mason," Mathew yelled his face twisting in anger, "who cares what that idiot thinks. If you come with us you should do it for yourself. He had his chance and the guy was so twisted he threw it away. What's really stopping you?"

"My mom," I admitted, "and Ben. They would probably let my father visit."

Mathew rested his head on his hand,"What's your mom like?"

"She's great." I smiled as Mathew listened intently, "For a long time she stayed home with me and my brother, but she just started working full time. She's really supportive. Anytime I need something I can go to her. My father is totally wrapped around her finger, it's sweet and kind of gross to watch. I feel like she taught me everything I know," I sighed seeing sadness in his face for the first time. "My mom didn't have typical family either, so I think she is always trying to make it up to us."

"Must be nice, my mother has never been very motherly, "Mathew admitted. "If I were you I wouldn't give that up either."

"Really?" I teased, "Christiana Zelkos isn't much of a chocolate chip cookie baker?"

"No, she just checked out when I was a little boy," Mathew said with a shrug, "it's not uncommon though. I'm not the only guy around here with an absentee parent."

My phone buzzed and I looked down to several worried messages.

Jill: I can't find you and I'm getting worried. Text me and let me know you're okay. I'm going to walk over to your room incase you shut off your phone.

Dad: I'm sorry that things worked out this way. Let me know if you need to talk. I know you're sad and I wish I could fix it for you. If you are up to it, your grandmother wants to meet you at 10. If not just let me know and I'll blow her off. I love you and I wish I could protect you from everything.

I stood up and looked to Mathew, "I'm sorry I have to get back to my room. Everyone is freaking out. They probably hid all my razors."

Mathew let out a painful laugh as he opened the door for me. Looking down at me with pleading eyes he asked,"You going to come down and see us off?"

"I think I can do that," I grinned leaning over to wrap my arms around him in a quick hug, "sorry about your sweater."

I felt his chest rumble in a deep laugh as I pulled away.

"You crack me up Paris." Mathew shook his head at me, "Take care of your self."

I walked down the hall totally spaced out. My head was filled with so many unanswered questions. I expecting to see Jill waiting for me, but was surprised to see Abe standing at my door. He stood menacingly with his arms crossed in front of him and a deep frown creasing the sides of his jaw.

"Paris," he grumbled.

I threw my hands up in surrender, "If this is about Quinn I'm sorry. I just needed some time. It's been a difficult morning."

"Not out here," Abe motioned and waited until we stepped inside my room. Either the maids had turned the temperature down or Abe's cool glare caused me to shiver. I pulled my arms into the sleeves of my sweatshirt and wrapped my arms around myself protectively.

"Tell me what happened," Abe demanded his eyes getting soft. He looked afraid of my answer.

"I'm sorry Abe what happened when?"

"I need to know if I'm going to have to kill my grandson Paris." Abe took a step forward his eyes focused on the rug. "What happened last night?"

"Nothing," I lied, "you saw us together at the party last night. We danced for a while and after I had a bit too much to drink. Mason brought me back here and I fell asleep." I cringed. "When I woke up this morning he was gone. Poof no more Mason," I told him exaggerating the last few words.

Abe leaned down and picked up a small white button off the floor. He focused on the button turning it over in his finger tips. "Paris I realize this is a difficult topic, but I never took you for a lier."

I took another step into the room and turned my back to Abe. "Okay so Mason came back here with me. I thought you didn't want me wandering this halls alone," I said with more attitude then I really intended.

"I'm thinking if the buttons from his shirt are on your floor there is more to this story then you are letting on." Abe paused, "No one could find Mason this morning and he almost missed his flight. I'm wondering if he spent the night with you."

"It doesn't matter," I blurted out. I pulled open the curtains, to busy myself, letting in the small amount of light still on the horizon.

"It does too matter," Abe demanded swearing under his breath in a language I didn't understand and grabbing my arm. He turned me around to face him and looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. "Paris I need you to answer a simple question," Abe spoke slowly his face looking older than I had ever seen it, "Did Mason get you drunk?"

"No," I paused, "yes," I cringed, "maybe a little. I knew what I was doing."

The wrinkles around his eyes seemed deeper and Abe looked older than I could ever remember. "Mason left your room this morning? Without telling you he was leaving"

I nodded all emotion wiping from my face. I braced myself for the question.

"Did he take advantage of you Paris?"

My throat got tight and I could feel the tears prickling in the corner of my eyes. That had not been the question I had expected him to ask.

"No, he didn't," I met his eyes and spoke with a shaky voice. "That's not what happened Abe I promise. I'm not lying."

Abe let out an uncomfortable breath. "Any truth to it at all?"

"We were both drunk Abe. I know we shouldn't have been, but we were just trying to have some fun and relax" I tried to explain as tears slipped from the pinched corners of my eyes," it wasn't Mason's fault. We just fell asleep." I covered my mouth a sob escaping my tight control.

"Mason left quickly. You have to understand how it looked," Abe groaned pulling me into his arms, "we were all worried. Rose has been a mess not knowing what to do."

A loud knock came at my door. Abe unwrapped me and opened the door. A very unhappy Jill stood before him with her hands planted firmly on her hips. Jill took a second to scan the room and looked up at Abe, "I got it from here."

Abe nodded and looked back into the room at me as I walked toward them, "I'm sorry Paris I can see this has been tough on you. I'll see you at dinner. You know I would do anything to protect you." Abe leaned forward kissing the top of my head, "I love you like you were my own."

I wiped the new tears off my jaw and walked back into the room. I flopped down on the bed as I heard the lock click closed. I had a sudden longing for my bed and my sheets.

"For what it's worth I tried to beat Abe here. Someone is going to have to deal with Rose and I'm glad it's not me."

"What does Rose have to do with anything?" I yelled and threw my hands up in frustration.

Jill gave me a patient smile, "She's just worried. I'm not sure why she expected you two to run off into the sunset together, but she didn't expect Mason to hurt you."

I rolled my eyes like a spoiled child and squashed the smile that threatened to appear from her words.

"It's been obvious from the beginning. Eddie and Adrian were taking bets on how long it would take you two to realize it at the mixer. Auras aren't my thing, but they don't lie."

"I don't believe that little halos of color define a person. What now they are used in match making?" I said petulantly. Apparently being dumped had the side effect of making me act like a five year old.

"You had an exciting night last night," I raised an eyebrow at her and tried to change the subject to something happier.

"Yes, and a rather vigorous morning as well," Jill admitted returning my smile, "I was doing my best to keep your Dad busy. He's angry, but he has put it all together just yet.

"Put what together?" I asked pulling the pony tail holder out of my hair and scrubbing the last of the moisture from my face.

Jill sighed, kicked off her heals, and despite her perfectly pressed gray suit she flopped down on the end of the bed,"You want to talk about it?"

"No." I insisted. "That is the last of the tears. I'm not crying anymore over Mason or any other stupid guy."

"He might still call," Jill said tilting her head toward me not saying Mason's name out loud. "You got to have some faith in him."

"Really," I answered drawing out each syllable. "All the times you and Eddie ended things, how many of those did he come crawling back?"

"Once," she gave me a sad smile, "the last time."

"So what makes you so sure Mason's going to call?"

"I'm not," Jill confessed, "I'm actually pretty sure that he won't."

I gave her a very annoyed look. "Mason told me he didn't have any interest in having any kind of relationship once we left the lodge. He couldn't have been any clearer. If he calls it will be out of guilt."

Jill raised an eyebrow at me "He could call out of regret. You have to understand these guys Paris. They aren't like any other. They get so far into their own head that they don't believe that they deserve love. Eddie spent so many years believing he wasn't good enough for me, it almost ruined us."

"That makes sense for Eddie," I reasoned, "his family abandoned him. Mason has always had a family that loved him. Mason's insecurity comes from his sense of duty. He thinks that his whole world must be about self sacrifice." I shook my head in disbelief. "A true martyr."

"That's something that drew you to him," Jill stated.

I shrugged, "Possibly."

"Hmmm. So why did Mason fail to tell you about his plans to leave early."

I shook my head feeling the soft pillow behind my head. "I'm not sure. I want to think that it's because he was a coward and couldn't face me to say goodbye, but honestly I said something that probably freaked him out. There is a good chance that it was all my fault."

Jill turned sideways toward me and propped her head up on her hand. "Mason didn't tell you he loved you too?"

I squeezed my eyes closed as shame washed over me, "How do you know that's what I said?"

"Well," Jill sighed, "Eddie ran the first time I told him that I loved him so I figured there was a good chance that history repeated itself."

"I'm sure I freaked him out. I freaked me out," I said as a burning blush moved up my neck and onto my face, "Mason probably though he had some crazy stalker girl to deal with. When he woke up he had a chance to get away from me and he took it. Simple as that."

Jill startled me as a loud laugh escaped her. "You are out of your mind Paris. That boy was in so deep with you he'll never dig himself out. They aren't easy men to love, but it doesn't change the fact that we do. You should go after him."

"No," I demanded feeling my anger resurface, "I deserve better than that. I deserve to have a boyfriend that is fighting to be with me, not to get away from me."

"I can't argue with you there," Jill agreed. "But, tell me one thing would you rather have your pride or would you rather have Mason."

"That's insane. I'm not changing my whole life to go after Mason," I said exasperated.

"Understandable," Jill nodded, "but, I have a feeling this isn't the end for you two."

I responded under my breath, "That's what I'm afraid of."

"So where did you end up running off to." Jill smirked, "Where ever it is I'm going to hide there next time I want to be left alone. I looked everywhere."

"I had breakfast with Mathew." I told her, "We had a good talk, took my mind off all the drama. I didn't realize he had such severe mommy issues."

"I can only imagine," Jill said as she silenced her ringing phone, "there was a big scandal after his father died."

I couldn't help the gasp that came out of my mouth. "Mathew's father died?"

Jill nodded, "When he was little, three maybe four years old. It was a big deal because they didn't find him at first."

"He was turned," I blurted out in a shaky voice.

"Yeah, I think so. I don't know all the details and it isn't my story to tell, but I know that Rose and Dimitri had a part in putting him to rest." Jill let out a long yawn and hugged a pillow to her chest.

"I thought Mathew said something about his father not being proud of him," I wondered.

Jill shrugged, "He was probably talking about his stepfather. Only father he really every had."

I frowned, "His mother kept her last name as Zelkos." Even if it was a royal name it seemed like an arrogant thing to do.

"No," Jill said letting out a long breath, "Christiana married Mathew's uncle. The story was that they bonded over their loss."

"How very royal of her," I laughed through the shock I was feeling.

"Yup," Jill nodded in disgust. "I feel dirty just talking about it."

"Me too, right now a shower is just about the only thing that would make me feel better," I reasoned. All the tears had made my face feel tight and itchy. My hair felt greasy from all the dancing the night before, and I was hoping to wash away the empty feeling in my gut.

"You go get in the shower and get yourself cleaned up," Jill told me motioning toward my bathroom, "I'm going to figure out when we are supposed to meet your grandmother."

"You're coming with me?"

"Damn right I am," Jill gave me a bright smile, "I have invited myself."

"Thank God," I smiled and climbed out of the bed toward the warm inviting water.

After my shower Jill laid out a comfortable pair of black slacks and a topaz colored silk shirt out on my for me out on my bed. She forced me to get dressed and make myself as presentable as I could without putting any effort into it. Without much thought, I followed her out the door.

"What does my grandmother have cooked up?" I asked looking across the elevator at Jill's shining eyes.

"I have to admit she's got something good up her sleeve. Way better than some boring tea party," Jill smirked. "We have one stop to make first."

"What's that?" I wondered as the elevators opened on the lobby. It was jammed full of people. Most of them toted baggage. Jill grabbed my hand and moved us swiftly through the crowd toward the large fire place where I had spotted Mason for the first time. The crowd parted easily for Jill as they took note of who she was. Everyone was hugging and saying goodbye. More than one mother had tears in her eyes.

I spotted Paisley's beautiful red hair easily. She was hugging her mother tightly. Andrew stood just a few steps away rolling his eyes at a man, that looked so much like him, he had to be his father. Mathew stood a few feet away squashed against a cart filled with luggage. He gave me a small gloomy smile and all I could see was a sad little boy.

"You showed," Mathew said looking relieved.

I shrugged, "Of course I did. Someone had to see you off."

"Well, I'm glad it was you," Mathew said taking a step toward me and closing the distance between us.

"I'm glad that I had a chance to know you."

Mathew made me jump as he leaned forward to whisper in my ear, "It's not over. You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Moving on so quickly," Nicole's the sing song voice cut through the crowd.

"I heard Mason climbed out of your bed this morning and you jumped right in Mathew's. Don't worry you'll be in good company." Nicole sneered. "I guess the rumors were true."

I looked back hoping Jill would give me some back up, but couldn't see her in the growing crowd.

"Anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't believe everything that you hear," I fired back, "maybe you shouldn't start rumors."

Nicole moved closer to me laughed humorlessly at me, "Don't worry I'll take care of Mason. He will be warming my sheets by the time we get back."

"What?" I laughed, "Mason is smarter than that."

"He didn't tell you?" Nicole said snidely and winked at Mathew, "Mason and I have been taking care of each other's needs for awhile now.

"That's enough Nicole," Mathew growled grabbing Nicole's elbow and forcibly pulling her away from me, "you've said enough."

"Tell Nicole she's a lier," I pleated with Mathew, "Mason wouldn't get near her."

"I'm so sorry Paris. I honestly don't know what kind of relationship they have. I've heard rumors, but"

Nicole's cold laugh cut through me.

"You're such a jerk," I yelled toward her as Mathew stepped between us.

"Such strong language Paris. I thought you were trying to appear to be a lady," Nicole continued to prod me.

I shook my head in disgust. "Some of us don't have to pretend Nicole."

I turned around but, after only a few steps I walked right into Alex.

"I'm so glad you came to see us off," Alex said giving me an apologetic smile and pulling me away from a now fighting Mathew and Nicole.

I took a deep breath and tried to maintain my composer. "Yeah take care," I said turning to walk around him.

"Paris wait," Alex called reaching to grab my hand and holding up my escape. "I'm sorry about last night."

I turned back toward him confused. "For what?"

"I didn't forget the music. I left it in my room on purpose." Alex blushed unable to meet my eyes, "I wasn't ready."

I gave him a shaky laugh and patted his arm. "I understand. I never meant to make you feel like you didn't have choice. You are very talented Alex, you need to take some lessons and get some confidence but, I'm not angry with you."

Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out the iPod I had lent him. "Thanks for letting me borrow it. It's really cool, I've never had one before."

"Really?"

Alex shook his head and looked a little bit embarrassed.

I gave him my first genuine smile of the day. "Keep it. I have my phone and I can always pick up a new one if I need to."

Alex looked stunned and tried to hand it to me, "I couldn't, it's too expensive."

"Really keep it. I'll see if I can't find you some good music books when I get home. We have got to teach you how to read music."

Alex looked uncomfortable, but didn't fight me. "Thanks Paris and, um, hey, is there anything you want me to tell him?"

"No," I said clearly, "I have nothing to say to Mason."

Alex nodded, "Hey, they're calling us to the buses now."

"Bye Alex," I said softly giving him a tight hug and watched as he walked toward his parents.

Paisley gave me a quick hug and I promised to call her. I waved sadly at Mathew as he blew me a kiss.

Jill walked beside me linking arms as we walked out of the lobby.

"Feel better?" she wondered.

"Yeah, I do. Thanks," I lied.

Jill shook her head but didn't argue with me. "Okay now that all that drama is behind us lets go relax," Jill said as we walked up to the doors of the spa.

I frowned, "Forgive me Jill but I'm not really in the mood to be scrubbed again."

"No scrubbing," Jill laughed, "but lets not count out the healing power of a swedish massage,"

"A massage?"

Jill nodded as we walked up the front desk. A familiar looking woman in a black uniform led us back to a large dark room lit mostly in candles.

"Hello ladies," my grandmother said from across the room. She stood up and walked toward us. I could see that she was already wearing a robe. Turning toward Jill she raised and eyebrow and asked "Do you make a habit of being late?"

Jill flashed her best fake smile and answered, "We got caught up in the crowd leaving for Saint Vlads."

Giving me a warm smile my grandmother asked,"What do you think?" She motioned to the three half dress men standing next to the towel covered tables. They were all very pretty looking men with long hair and rippled chests.

"I think you had a great idea," I blushed looking toward Jill for support.

"I thought after all the unpleasantness," she paused shuttering softly," yesterday you deserved something truly relaxing."

"Unpleasantness?" I mimicked.

She let out an inpatient breath as she took a step toward me. "You have got to take care of yourself Paris. Your father told me you left the resort," she shook her head disapprovingly, "thank goodness you were smart enough to take a guardian with you. I'm glad he was able to protect you. I'm sure Abe pays him enough he better be worth it." She eyes got soft and pleading, "This is why I wanted you to be some place safe, protected. I care about you Paris."

"My father told you Quinn took care of me," I asked disbelievingly, "that he was the one that killed them?"

I could see Jill flinch out of the corner of my eye. "Paris let's get changed. These men aren't going to wait around all day while we chat," Jill tugged on my arm trying to distract me.

"Yes, Yes, hurry up and get changed," my grandmother purred, they aren't going to hold the room forever."

Slipping into the changing room I cornered Jill. "What's going on? Why did dad tell her that? You and I both know that's not what happened!"

Jill leaned against the wall and unable to meet my intense eyes. "You have to understand Paris everyone agreed this was for the best. We didn't want you to get too much attention. Girls your age don't just take out two Strigoi and walk away without a scratch. Quinn taking them out and getting hurt protecting you was much more believable story."

"That's what everyone thinks," I paused not believing the words coming out of my mouth, "that Quinn saved me?

"Yes," Jill said simply.

I was speechless. How could my father not even bother to tell me that I was now living another lie? I was going to have to pretend here just like at home. Was there ever going to be place I wouldn't have to lie about who I really was? Suddenly I felt like a caged animal. The air in my lungs burned making me aware that I had totally stopped breathing. I didn't want to play nice and swallow if all down. Laying on a table while some greased down man rubbed away my stress seemed like a ridiculous motion.

"Paris?" Jill said as she emerged from one of the changing rooms. She was now wearing one of the plush terry cloth robes and looking at me expectantly. "You know your grandmother didn't have anything to do with it, there is no reason to punish her."

For the first time in my life I wanted to scream at Jill. She had no idea how deeply her words had changed what I thought of her.

I nodded and changed into a matching robe.

No matter how many times the masseuse tried to get me to relax, I couldn't. At the end of the forty-five minutes I jumped off the table feeling wound just as tightly as when I laid down.

"Did you enjoy you massage," my grandmother asked me sweetly as we left the changing rooms.

"Not really," I frowned. My days pretending that everything was fine were over. It was about time I rocked the boat. "I think I want to take Alyssa up on her offer."

"What?" she said taken off guard. Stopping she turned her attention toward me. "What offer?"

"I think that I'd like her to give me the tour of Princeton. Do you think that you could help me arrange it, maybe help me convince my father?"

A calculating grin spread across her face as Jill stood tentatively beside me.

"You know you don't need to make any decisions now," Jill reminded me.

Completely ignoring Jill I continued, "Did you want me to just consider Saint Vlad's or were there other schools I could look at?"

"What?" Jill said so loudly a the woman at the desk looked up at us.

"I'm just thinking," I admitted to them, "that might not be the right place for me."

Jill looked scared. She had never the decisive side of me. "Don't you think that's something you should discuss with your father?"

"No," my grandmother supported me, "Paris is right. There are many great institutions that would be lucky to have her. Many of which your father attended. Let me get some books together and I'll send them to you."

"Thank you, I can use all the help I can get," I opened the door to the spa taking a few steps down the opposite hallway.

"Wait," Jill pleaded, "aren't you going to have dinner with us?" Jill looked down at her phone and frowned, "You dad is meeting us in fifteen minutes."

"Sorry," I waved, "I have something I need to do. I couldn't eat now if I wanted to," I looked at Jill with disgust. The rational part of my brain understood that Jill wasn't to blame, but she was the only one I had to take my anger out on.

"Do you think that we could have breakfast tomorrow before we leave, just you and me," I asked my grandmother sweetly. Jill looked like someone had slapped her.

My grandmother nodded seemingly pleased with my request and I took off. I had no idea which direction I was going, but I needed to find Quinn. I needed to find him fast before I blew.

Stopping in one on the public restrooms I ducked into the last stall and locked the door. Leaning against the cold wall I scrolled down the contact list praying all the numbers had been transferred over to this new phone. Scrolling down to the Q's I was relieved to see his lone name.

The phone rang so many times I was sure that it was going to go to voice mail, when he picked up I let out a jittery breath.

"Paris?" Quinn sounded surprised to hear from me, "Is everything okay?"

"Quinn you said if I wanted to punch anything else while I was here you would help me," I said sounding desperate.

"You need to talk?" Quinn asked slowly.

"No, I blurted out, "I need to hit something. I need to scream and try to kick someone's ass."

"I'll meet you down in the gym," Quinn said understanding, "calm down okay."

"I can't calm down," I said breathing hard, "I don't know what I need, but you were the first person I called."

"Ten minutes," Quinn repeated and hung up.

**This is a bonus scene from Mathew's POV. This is set just as they return at school. I know not everyone loves Mathew, but this is just a quick peak in his head. I could see this so clearly in my head I had to share it. Also, I need some help from my awesome readers. In the next few chapters I am going to need to have Mathew's element figured out. He will either be a water, earth, or air user. I am leaning away from spirt because of the obvious Adrian parallels. If you have an opinion or just want to weight it I would love to hear your ideas. Thanks for reading everyone. **

I was so pissed I just wanted to punch something, anything really. I hadn't had rage inside of me that felt like this before. I felt like a live wire. If anyone touched me they were going to get a hell of a shock.

I guess if I was being honest I always had anger boiling inside of me. I had since I could remember, it wasn't anything new. Losing your father the same day your mother decided to check out tended to do that to you. But, this was something different. I felt like I had been deceived. Mason was supposed to take care of Paris. That's why I stepped back. No way I would have let Mason have her if I had thought for one moment he wasn't totally in. I thought Paris deserved better than me, but not anymore. I wasn't going to let her slip through my fingers again.

It had been an awful day from the moment I woke up. My mother was on my case again. She firmly believed that telling me how much I embarrassed her would motivate me to do better in school. Sure I could try harder, maybe pay attention more in class and do my homework once in a while. However, the speeches tended to have the opposite affect. I just felt like crap and didn't want to try at all. If I was going to fail I might as well not waste my time.

I rubbed my temples as the shuttle pulled up at Saint Vlad's parking lot. I hadn't talked to anyone the entire trip from the airport. Andrew and Paisley sat across from me, but were so caught up in their own gross tongue sucking world they hadn't even noticed my bad mood. Plenty of girls offered to keep me company, but I knew there was no girl capable of numbing me.

Nicole seemed to have taken the hint and hadn't bothered on the trip back. She still seemed smug about something though. Her petty insignificant brain could be cooking up anything and I just hoped I wasn't the center of her current scheme. The one positive side of Paris not coming back with us was that she would be far, far away from Nicole.

I stepped of the bus and all I could think of was Paris. Her sad delicate face crying on my shoulder this morning was burned into my memory. It incited a rage that I still hadn't been able to shake. I wanted to hit, no pound something just thinking about it. It was the strangest thing, I missed her already. I didn't want Paris the way I usually wanted a girl. She didn't make me feel numb and unattached. Paris made me feel more alive, more myself. She seemed to have faith in me that my own mother couldn't see.

Small social groups formed outside of the bus and I could see several of the groups looking toward me hoping I would join them. Not one of the social climbing girls wanted me for anything but my last name. It used to thrill me, but now it just kind of made me nauseous. I flashed my trade mark smirk toward a few girls and walked past them without a word. The bizarre thing was my silence seemed to make me more appealing. I guess I would never understand what it was about me that held so much allure.

Paisley linked arms with me and tried to steer me toward the cafeteria, but when I pulled away she gave me a very unconvincing pouty face. Paisley had been one of my first friends. She and I had shared crayons and eaten paste together in kindergarden. Even though our mothers positively despised each other, Paisley had been one of my first and best friends. People always thought it was strange that a guy who never even looked at a girl twice would have a female best friend, but it didn't to me. Next to Alyssa, Paisley was the closest thing I had to a sister.

"You need to eat," Paisley said slowly punctuating each word like I didn't speak English. "Even if you want to sulk and be anti social you're going to be starving later.

The baggage was already sorted and would be delivered back to our rooms so I didn't have much of an argument. Paisley knew since we had been away on vacation so long I wouldn't have anything stashed away in my room.

I nodded at her and Andrew turning to follow them toward the familiar smell of pizza. It was one of the few things that they didn't screw up here and it was served at practically every meal.

I plopped down at the first empty circular table I saw. My carryon bag flopped to the ground with a loud thunk.

Paisley grabbed my shoulder and tilted her head toward me, "Slice of pepperoni and a glass of milk?"

I laughed quietly and looked up at her compassionate face, "You know me well friend."

She nodded leaving her purse on the table as while she collected our dinner. Andrew took off toward the food giving me wide birth to sulk. He was a smart man. Paisley was probably the only person that could deal with me in my current mood.

I looked down at my phone and smiled. Paris sent me two texts while I was on the plane. One text was just asking if our flight got in, and one with a crazy picture of her with boxing gloves on her hands. Apparently I wasn't the only one that felt like pounding something. I made it the new background picture on my phone.

The cafeteria was relatively empty. It was mostly just the group coming from the lodge and small group of dhampirs meeting in the bump out in the corner of the room. It made me mad just looking at the guardian wannabes. They liked to pretend they were so important. It wouldn't matter where in the room they sat, I could careless about their self indulgent bull shit.

I managed to nibble on pizza Paisley brought back for me and even managed some normal conversation. Paris's messages managed to squash my fears of losing her completely.

The dhampir group in the corner caught my eye as they dispersed. I went to dump the half eaten pizza off my tray and walked right into Mason Belikov's arrogant face.

"You like to pretend you are so important don't you," I could help myself from saying.

Mason's face tensed and he turned to face me. "Excuse me, don't pretend to know anything about me."

I was glad Mason didn't come right out and attack me, I enjoyed a challenge. "Always taking the high rode, right Mason. You never do anything wrong," I baited him.

"What the hell are you talking about? I have never done anything to you," Mason said louder than he meant to. Several other dhampirs turned toward us with worried glances.

I could see Paisley take long hurried steps toward me. "No, I'm pretty sure I started the day off with a beautiful girl crying all over me this morning. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

Mason's cocky grin disappeared and turned murderous. He looked like he wanted to say something, but remained speechless.

"Right," I continued, "you were long gone. Couldn't be bothered with what you left behind?"

My own arrogance was fueling this confrontation and the knowledge that Mason couldn't hit me. If Mason started a fight with me he would be severally punished. If I swung first he could claim selfdefense, but I was in the mood to say exactly what was on my mind.

"Do you know that your brother was the one that told her you left. You left your own brother to see Paris' face crumble. Some bond you two have. Who does that?" I said as Alex's movement across the room caught my eye.

"Don't pretend to know anything about my relationship with Paris or Alex," Mason warned as he took an intimidating step toward me.

"Nicole told her," I shook my head at him throwing attitude in every direction, "I had to watch Nicole tell Paris all about how she's going to be in your bed tonight. The best part is that you are too much of a chicken to call her and set her straight, or maybe it's true."

"That stupid," Mason broke off looking around the room desperately searching for Nicole.

I laughed humorlessly noticing that everyone in the room now had their eyes fixed on us. "What I can't understand is if you were just going to dump her without a second glance why didn't you let me have her?" I shrugged, "Paris obviously didn't mean anything to you. If she had you wouldn't have spent the night with her and left without a word. You treated her like a slut."

Before I could even get the last word out Mason dropped his tray, the dishes shattering on the floor. Stepping over the mess he lunged at me. I stepped back, but his long arms pulled me toward him and down onto the floor.

"I wouldn't trust you with my dog," Mason finally got out just as we slammed to the hard tile floor.

Andrew grabbed Paisley around the waist yanking her backwards barely out of the way. I could hear Alex screaming at Mason to stop, but we were both so in the moment it didn't matter.

I swung first my fist connecting perfectly with Mason's eye socket. If I was lucky he might even have a black eye. I had never hit anyone before and it felt amazing. All the anger I was pushing down came flying free.

Mason wasn't expecting me to fight back and was temporary disoriented giving me a moment to swing my head up and connect with his nose. Blood came gushing out of his nostrils and the whole room erupted in pandemonium.

Alex grabbed Mason around the waist and attempted to pull him off of me just as his fist connected with my jaw. I heard a loud crunch as two instructors grabbed Mason's arms and pulled him the rest of the way up.

Flinging my legs wildly I managed to get back onto my feet in time to see Mason being dragged out of the room.

"You okay man," Andrew said slowly as he inspected the bruise forming on my face.

I smiled broadly at him for the first time all day and declared, "I feel great."

Paisley looked shocked as I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and walked back to our table.

"You are totally insane," Paisley frowned, her face even paler then usual.

"I am," I nodded in agreement, "totally."


	20. Enough Rope to Hang Yourself

Drenched in sweat and air burning in my lungs I continued to swing at the punching bag. Despite the state of the art facilities surrounding me, Quinn had insisted I use a good old fashion hanging bag. Heavy boxing gloves covered my hands, the word Everlast arching over my knuckles.

Quinn stood behind the bag steadying it and instructing me on which kicking or punching combinations to strike with next. Following each command I was in a zone. With each smack of my to the bag, I could feel myself being liberated and my stress leaking from my body.

Quickly after getting off the phone with Quinn I had ran up the eight flights of stairs to my room. I didn't have the patience or the social grace to wait for the elevator. I changed into an outfit I knew Mason would hate, forced my wild hair out of my eyes, and took off back down to the gym.

Quinn had taken just one look at my expression and led me into a cavernous room filled with boxing equipment. Without a word he tossed a pair of black and grey boxing gloves at me. They were at least a size too big and took a lot of adjusting to get right on my hands. With my heart pounding and venom in my eyes we fell into an easy rhythm.

I paused to wipe the sweat dripping down my forehead and I took my first glance around the room. We had been down here for at least a half in hour and I had yet to notice anything but Quinn or the bag. The room was busier than I thought. Almost every bag stand was occupied and the two small boxing rings in the center of the room each had a line of people waiting for the their turn. As I scanned the room I met several different pairs of appraising eyes. Why were all these people down here on their vacations?

"Over here," Quinn yelled," focus. My eyes switched up to him and resumed my position. "What are we here for Paris?" Quinn questioned me for the first time. "What's got you so worked up?"

I stepped out of my crouch and glared up a him, "Are you joking?" I glanced back at the bag.

"You want to pretend that's Mason, I get that," Quinn said seriously. "Beat the snot out of him. No one could argue with that."

"No, it's not about Mason," I said honestly surprised by my answer. I was more sad and disappointed with Mason then bloodthirsty. Sure part of me wanted to kick him squarely between the legs, but that's not what had me seething.

"Okay," Quinn conceded, "talk to me."

"I am so sick," I paused swinging an uppercut into the bag and catching Quinn off guard, "of all the lies." Jamming my knee into the bag I continued ranting, "I can't escape them. At home, my family, everything I do, everywhere I go." Alternating punches and kicks I punctuated each phrase.

Quinn nodded, but didn't interrupt me until I was finished.

"Just a week without having to lie about who I am, without a coverup. That's all I wanted this week," I exploded the bottom of my foot slamming in bag. Quinn took a step backward at the force of my kick. Surprising me Quinn tossed the bag to the side and came straight for me.

I instinctually took a step backwards, but wasn't intimidated my his glare.

Quinn raised an eyebrow at me, "Feel better Paris?"

"Yeah," I shrugged breathing hard, "a little bit."

"It's my fault," Quinn whispered," I should have done more."

"What, no," I shook my head at him," I don't blame you."

"Maybe not, but I do," Quinn admitted guilt etched in his features.

Quinn's misplaced blame knocked the fight out of me and I sagged grabbing the bag for support.

"Come on," Quinn demanded. After helping me pull the gloves off my hands, he threw them into a bin along the wall and I followed toward the door.

"Who the new girl Quinn?" a voice along the wall startled me.

A group of five different men stood together tossing some kind of medicine ball. Each one was probably in their early or mid twenties. They were all openly staring at me. I tugged my damp hair smoothing my side pony tail around my neck and down in front of my chest self consciously.

leveled a glare at the man. His annoyed voice driving home a point, "Sixteen Christoph. She's sixteen."

The cocky grins fell off their faces. "What's she doing still here? Didn't the buses leave earlier to take them all back to school?"

"I'm a rebel," I spoke up annoyed with all the man's assumptions.

The man grinned down at me. He was enormous, not just tall but broad and stocky. I couldn't guess how much this guy weighted, he was enormous with sandy brown hair and surfer boy blue eyes. "Spunky. I bet Rose loves her."

"She does. As matter a fact Rose is very protective of Paris and Eddie is practically rabid," Quinn tried to warn him.

I folded my arms across my now dark pick sports bra as I watched the men verbally spar.

"Well, any friend of Rose's," the man started grinning in a way I knew he enjoyed irritating Quinn.

"Sixteen," Quinn repeated tugging me toward the door.

"Well, I'll keep an eye out for you, Paris right?" he turned toward me and after wiping his palm on his towel offered it to me.

It was a dare, a double dare really and I wasn't going to back down. My back straightened and meeting his eyes expressionlessly I reached out for his hand.

"Right"

"You'd think I'd remember a unique name like that. Your mother must be fascinating," he prodded me.

"You have no idea," I smirked enjoying the confused looked that crossed his face, "but most people think my father is more interesting."

"Come on Paris," Quinn ordered opening the heavy door for me.

Turning back slightly I caught sight of the man's neck. It was completely covered with little black marks. There were so many it almost appeared to be one big design.

I turned and followed Quinn out of the room and down a cold hallway. He opened an empty racquetball room and glared at me until I entered.

"Stretch," he ordered, "or your going to feel like crap tomorrow."

"Here?" I asked as I looked over the very hard floor.

"Paris," Quinn warned and I did as I was told.

Cautiously I asked, "So what was all that."

Quinn walked over and stared down at me."All what."

"O, I don't know the dick measuring contest I just observed."

Quinn rolled his eyes and walked over to lean against the wall. The whole time we had been there he hadn't even broken a sweat.

"That was Christoph. He and his merry bunch of followers are the personal guardians to the royal court. These are the guys that take care of the head royals. Besides the royal family, it's the most prestigious appointment you can have."

"You don't like him," I stated honestly.

Quinn's face softened, "I don't like that he made you feel uncomfortable. I don't want to make anything else harder on you."

I frowned, "How do you know that he was making me uncomfortable? They can all stare all they want. I don't care."

"You always pull on you hair and wrap it around you protectively when you're nervous."

I didn't respond. Honestly, I didn't really have the mental capacity.

"Considering your attire it could have been worse," Quinn sighed. "Didn't Mason warn you to be careful how you dressed down here?"

I laughed humorlessly," Yup."

"Right you're a rebel now," Quinn mocked me rubbing his forehead with his thumb and forefinger.

I stood up quickly my anger returning and reminding me why I was here in the first place. I gazed down at my sports bra and running shorts. I may be showing my stomach, but all the important places were covered. It been an intense workout and I was drenched in sweat. "That is incredibly sexist you know. I shouldn't have to dress to appease you or any other man."

"Sexist," Quinn repeated puckering his face like the word didn't taste right in his mouth.

"Yeah, this place is incredibly sexist." I threw my hands on my hips and began to rant, "Don't dress in workout clothes when you're dripping with sweat because some smarmy guy might hit on you. Pretend you didn't kill the Strigoi Paris because no one would believe a girl." I wanted to continue, but Quinn cut me off.

"What," Quinn screamed dropping his Nalgean bottle to the ground with a bang that echoed in the empty room. "You think it's because you are a girl?"

I made no attempt to move. My face puckered in disgust I slowly nodded my head, "What else am I supposed to think!"

"That's insane! This has nothing to do with you being a guy or a girl. Rose has a higher kill number than ninety percent of the guardians. This is about protecting you, not calling attention to how talented and strong you are."

"Why," I practically screamed, "that doesn't make sense! This is supposed to be the place where being strong and smart is celebrated."

"If the Moroi knew how talented you are with almost no instruction they would be relentless." With a pained expression, Quinn tried to explain, "the number of girls become Guardians hasn't just dropped it's disappeared. The Moroi have started a campaign to get the numbers up. It is aggressive and obnoxious. Your father doesn't want that kind of attention for you or your family."

"Everyone already wants me to go to Saint Vlad's," I admitted almost sadly.

"Just think how much worst it would be if they knew what really happened."

"It was my father," I repeated as all the air left my lungs.

Quinn sighed, "Yes, he insisted. I argued with him, but there was no changing his mind."

"He didn't even bother to tell me," I said using my hands to cover my face in embarrassment.

Quinn reached out and gently pealed my fingers back away from my face, "I get it the whole thing reeks, but it really will be easier for you this way."

"It's all the lies," I shouted. "Everywhere I go more lies about more things. How am I supposed to live like this?"

"Listen I have a friend he is an incredible artist. If you want your marks I think I can get him to do it. He owes me a favor," he glanced up at the clock, "I'm pretty sure he's leaving tomorrow, but I can give him a call if you're interested. No one can ever take those away from you. You earned them, you deserve it."

"It's not about recognition Quinn."

"I know," he reassured me, "but it's your right. You saved my life Paris. Do you know how many people would have just taken off and left me to die? I could never thank you enough. If I had done my job correctly," Quinn stopped swallowing so hard his Adam's apple bobbed, "I'm nobody Paris. You risked your life for a nobody."

"You think I should have left you to be some animals' snack!"

Quinn shrugged, "No one would have blamed you."

"What the hell does that mean Quinn. You're a Guardian, not a nobody. How could you even say that?"

"I'm not," Quinn sighed. "Abe pays me, but I'm not really a Guardian. I didn't go to school for it like everyone else. What I know I learned on my own."

"Why is that?" I wondered the words hanging in the air.

Quinn flinched, his strong posture crumbling, "It's a long story."

I raised my arms motioning to our empty surroundings, "All I got is time."

"Paris," he pleaded, "you have got to understand my mother is similar to yours in certain ways."

I pondered that, the puzzle pieces coming together in my mind, "she's not quite like us?"

"No, where I come from there are very few people like us and even fewer like Abe."

Okay, so his mother was human that was both great and horrible at the same time.

"When I was eighteen I met Abe and he explained to me what I was. I had no idea I was any different from my mother."

"What!" I shivered in disbelief. The cold room and lack of movement catching up to me. "Seriously, you didn't know you were a dhampir?"

"Nope, I had no idea what that was. Vampires were just a legend that you saw sometimes in the moves. My mother had suspicions. She always watched me like she was waiting for something to happen. Before I was born she worked in a pub and best I can guess is my father came in looking for his dinner. Got a bit more out of my mother I suppose. She was a good woman, a good mother but, I grew up confused."

"Abe, always got his fingers in too many pies," I said under my breath feeling breathless.

"What?"

I shook my head to distract him and to clear my mind, "Nothing just something my mom says. How many people know?"

"I'm not sure, Dimitri and maybe Rose. When I started Abe had another guard that taught me, trained me. The guy was fierce I couldn't have had a better teacher. Unfortunately, he was older and life hadn't been easy on him."

"Wow, I can't believe you told me that."

"Paris," Quinn chuckled, "you just spent the last hour and a half telling me how much you hate lies. You smashed that bag for an hour just to get that anger out. Do you expect me to lie to you now?"

I was totally speechless. I finally got someone to be honest with me and I had no idea what I was supposed to say.

"I think that you should get the tattoo," Quinn blurted out. "I think that if you don't you'll regret it."

"Really," I said tilting my head toward him. I hadn't every really thought about it before. I had killed more than my share of Strigoi, but it never occurred to me.

Quinn laughed, "Would I lie to you?"

"I guess not," I said smiling. My mouth felt strange the corners of my face turning up for the first time all day. "You know my dad will probably freak out right?"

"Did he tell you not to when I brought it up?" Quinn treaded carefully.

My smile widened, "Nope."

After Quinn insisted I take his sweatshirt, I set off to my room for a shower. I felt lighter, freer, but still angry. Instead of being generally pissed, it was more focused on my father. I wasn't a baby, if he was going to make real decisions about my life he had to at least let me in on it.

True to his word forty-five minutes after leaving the him, Quinn texted me a room number. The plan was to meet up in fifteen minutes and get to know his friend talented friend Gunnar.

I was equal parts psyched and horrified. My mother had her own tattoo and it was on her face. That had to hurt a lot more than on my neck. It would also be much easier to hide. Staring down at my phone I gathered my courage and headed across the lodge closer to where Mason and Alex's room had been. It was a couple of floors lower, but I still kept alert for Rose or Dimitri. They weren't leaving until the next day along with Eddie and Jill. I had a feeling if I ran into anyone my act of rebellion would be over before it started.

Knocking softly on the door I remembered that they weren't sound proofed like my own. A slightly plump man with shinny dark eyes answered the door.

"Paris?" he asked looking confused. I must not have been what he was expecting.

"Yes I'm Paris," I said reaching my hand out, "you must be Gunner."

"The one and only," he smiled opening the door for me.

Glancing around happy to see Quinn sitting just inside the door. I didn't make a habit of walking into strange mens room's.

"So how does a Guardian become a tattoo artist," I asked hoping to break the ice.

"Well, I was always really interested in art. I kept at it and taught myself all about sketching and painting. I never had many opportunities to show my talent though." Gunner sighed, "I had a friend who started tattooing to make some extra money, he showed me the ropes. Started out with the really simple stuff like just the Molnija marks and worked my way into other stuff. Voila, now I'm the guy everyone wants doing their ink."

"So you have a lot of experience?"

Quinn and Gunner looked up and me laughing.

"Yeah, you could say that. If you want an example of my work take a look at Quinn," Gunner motioned for Quinn to swivel around in his chair. A beautiful cross was tattooed in the middle of Quinn's shoulder blades. In the inside there was several small lightning like strikes. The scroll work on the cross and the intricate details were incredible. It really did look like art. How had I never noticed that before?

"Quinn brought me the paper work so we can do this now, or you can wait to have a ceremony. Either way is fine," Gunnar explained, "but this is my last day of vacation so if I get all my equipment set up and you chicken out, I'm not going to lie, it's going to annoy me."

I looked to Quinn, "What paper work?"

He shrugged, "You have to have verification. Gunner here can't just tattoo anyone. It all has to be officially filed or Gunnar could get in some deep trouble."

"Seriously?" I blurted out looking between the guys.

"O'yeah," Gunnar confirmed, "I have no idea how he managed to get the paper work so quickly. It usually takes at least a week."

I sat down in a chair across from Quinn. "How many favors did you call in for this?"

Turning to face Gunnar, he didn't answer me.

"I need to you understand this is permanent. There is no changing your mind or going back. I will do my best to keep everything as sterile as possible, but there is still a risk of an infection. You are going to have to take care of it for a few days. So what do you think Paris," Gunnar said anxiously, "are we going to do this now?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "let's do it."

"Alright! Good for you." Gunnar encouraged, "You have anything in mind?" Sitting beside me he pulled out a large binder and pulled out a couple of pieces of paper.

"I want it to be small, maybe the size of a quarter. Not much bigger, I'm going to want to be able to cover it up. Other than that I'm not sure."

"Okay we can work with that," Gunnar nodded. "No chance you are going to get promise marks right?"

"Nope," I confirmed my eyes wide.

"I had this one design I have been dying to do," he said showing me the paper, "it would need to slightly bigger than you described, but I could put it high enough that your hair would help cover it."

I looked down instantly in love with the design. It was a Celtic style knot open in the center. He had taken his time getting the curves and angles just right. In the center he had placed have small marks. I was happy to see it really wasn't much bigger than I had described.

"It's so perfect!"

Gunnar smiled broadly showing of his white smile, "I thought so too. What do you think Quinn?"

"That's why I brought her to you," Quinn grinned.

It didn't take long before it was over. Gunnar set up his equipment and put some kind of tracing paper on me. Before I knew it I was done. He had placed two of the little lightning marks in the center, but I would have the option in the future to add the other three. If I earned them. I prayed I never would.

"I feel like I owe you something," I whined as Gunnar held up the mirror for me so I could see the reflection in his bathroom mirror. He rubbed some kind of cream on it and after bandaging it up gave me the care instructions. "It doesn't seem fair that a favor should cover it."

Gunnar looked at me seriously, "Quinn is a good guy, one I consider a friend. You don't get many of those in my line of work. I don't care about a favor, you saving his ass was all the payment I needed. Plus I loved doing it. I hate doing the standard marks that everyone gets."

I gave them both hugs and headed back to my room. My father and Jill had both texted me throughout the day and I studiously ignored them. There was a good chance that they would be waiting for me back at the room and I knew my little act of rebellion wasn't going to be well received.

I pulled the elastic tie holding the tight bun on top of my head out and my hair fell to my shoulders. It didn't change what I had done, but it might buy me a little time.

Just as I was expecting I opened the door to my hotel room to find both Jill and my father glaring at me. They both looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something.

My father stood in the door way between our room with his hands crossed over his chest. "You want to tell me why you decided to ditch Jill and your grandmother?"

"You want to tell me why you insisted on lying to everyone on about with happened with Quinn?" I quickly fired back.

Dad's eyes popped open,"Tell me you're joking."

"Why would I be joking," I said boldly and taking a step toward my father, "you couldn't even be bothered to let me in on it. You know I'm not a very convincing actress when I don't have the script."

"You need to watch your tone," he flinched. "I have to make decisions on what's best for this family!" Shaking his head at me, "I guess I was wrong to expect you to understand that."

"No way. I have been towing the line since I could understand that I was different, that this family needed protecting. I've never questioned it. I've been a good little girl for sixteen years!" I could feel the anger bubbling up through my throat. "So, why did you bring me here and dangle this life in front of me? It's not real, it's all lies just like at home!"

"I brought you here because I thought you were mature enough to handle it all. It seems maybe I was wrong." He raked his fingers through his hair the tension building in the room, "Now I've got people asking all kinds of questions and I have no idea what to do! This is serious stuff Paris. Even the guard is sniffing around. What we do here could have serious consequences on our whole family. Think about your mother and Ben for a moment, not just your pride."

Jill looked incredibly uncomfortable. She could feel my father's anger, but had a much different perspective. "Adrian, you know she's been having a tough time," Jill spoke quietly and with all of the pity I had seen earlier.

I had never really fought with my parents before. Sure they had done things that had made me upset or that I hadn't understood, but I had never stood up to them before. This was a first for all of us.

"After the way you behaved this evening I'm surprised that Jill is willing to stick up for you!"

I felt like I had been slapped, "The way I acted? I'm sorry but it wasn't her job to fill me in our latest cover up."

"Do you even understand how difficult it was for Jill to here this week? She rearranged her whole schedual to be here to support you and this is how you thank her?"

I paused not sure what to say.

"It's okay Adrian," Jill spoke slowly, "we all knew this was going to be emotional."

"It's a good thing she did, I've seen you like three times all week! Where have you been?"

Some of the fury melted from his face and he shook his head slightly. "I guess I've been going through a lot this week myself. I'm sorry if you felt ignored," Dad said not quite apologizing, "I made reservations for dinner, just you and me at this great steak restaurant. It's supposed to be incredible," Dad smirked, "you want to have dinner with me?"

I rolled my eyes at him and leaned on his chest felling him wrap his long arms around me. It felt warm and safe. "I guess."

"You were doing so well making friends and you had Mason. Please tell me isn't all because of Mason?"

"What! No," I shouted pulling away from him. My voice cracking and giving me away, "I don't want to talk about him, now, or ever!"

"Maybe that's what you need," Jill suggested quietly.

"I knew the score with Mason from day one. I have excepted it and it's time to move on," I said taking a deep cleansing breath, "I don't want to talk about it anymore and I definitely don't want to hear you defending his behavior. I don't care who he is or how wonderful everyone thinks he is. I'm not going to chase after him or call him. As far as I'm concerned the guy doesn't exist."

"Geez, Paris no one expects you to chase after him and I don't blame you, I wouldn't call him either after the crap he pulled this morning," Dad laughed under his breath.

I shot Jill a look and the room suddenly became awkward.

"What? Jill you didn't actually suggest that?"

Jill quickly cut him off, "Come on Adrian you know me better than that. I was just trying some reverse psychology to see what kind of frame of mind Paris was in. The good new is she passed. She seems to skipped the weepy sad stage and jumped right to pissed." Jill sighed leaning back and sitting partially on the desk."

"Are you insane? Why would you put those kind of ideas in a sixteen year old girl's head? What you're a psychologist now?" Dad said rolling his eyes.

"No," Jill slumped back, "but I know girls, and Paris was a wild card."

I turned and walked toward Jill completely shocked, "So our conversation earlier was just one big joke?"

"No honey," Jill opened her arms and pulled me in for a hug, "truthfully though, over my cold dead body would I have let you go after him." Jill's hand slowly patted down my hair soothingly as I hugged her.

"Don't say that kind of stuff. I'm sorry if I was a spoiled brat," I apologized into her shoulder.

She pulled me back with a sweet smile, "This is nothing, you wouldn't believe what your father has put me through."

Her face crumpled, "What's that weird smell?"

"I know," Dad chimed in, "it smells like something's burning."

They both looked at me questioningly. Damn Moroi's blood hound nose.

"Where's it coming from?" my father said taking a step toward me.

"I've smelled it before but I can't place it." Jill's face changed to horror as she looked me over. "Apparently I spoke too soon."

"What is that," my father said slowly, "you been hanging around a fire user?"

"Tell him Paris. Tell him before I do!"

"I may have done something a little out of character," I admitted.

His eyes raking over me he asked cautiously,"How out of character?"

"Ummm."

Jill jumped off the desk and planted her hands firmly on her Gucci belt. "Show us Paris."

I scrunched my eyes closed and turned around. I couldn't see my father's face, but I was sure it was a mixture of shock and horror. I ripped the bandaid off, slowly pulling it from my skin.

I was expecting a gasp of shock from Jill or a curse word to come out of my father, but the room stayed menacingly quiet.

Slowly turning around the eerily quiet room made me shiver. For some reason I would have rather had the scream at me.

Jill's mouth was hanging open, and my father was now wringing his hands. A thrumming feeling of tension echoed through the room.

"Okay say something, anything!"

After a few more moments of uncomfortable silence my father took a step toward me, "I gave you just enough rope to hang yourself Paris."

Jill's panicked expression was frightening me. "What are we going to do?" she squeaked out.

"Not much we can do," my father said looking completely shell shocked. "I might kill Quinn, slowly."

"Your grandmother's going to lose it. All that polite composure of hers is going to a thing of the past." Jill said desperately, Can't you heal it?"

"I don't think I can."

"Well at least heal it so it doesn't give off that terrible smell!"

Motioning to me with his finger I moved closer to my father. His expression was still vacant and oddly empty.

"I hope you've enjoyed your freedom here because you mother probably won't ever let you out of the house again," Dad warned me. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck as a bold of warmth hit me. Immediately the soar stiff feeling lifted and the tattoo felt much better.

"Get dressed," Dad ordered as he walked out of my room.

I stood there puzzled. "We're still going out?"

"It's probably my last night of freedom too. Your mother's going to kill us both." The adjoining door closed and I looked back at Jill for help.

**Thank you so much to everyone that is following my story, especially those of you that have recently favored it. It makes my day every time! Everyone seemed to like Mathew's POV from my last chapter so I thought I would give you a little bit more. I know I owe everyone a Mason chapter, it should be up by this weekend. **

It had been a weird morning. I woke up stiff, my jaw still not feeling right. I could have gone to the medical center, but it was a long walk and I was feeling lazy.

It had been a long night. Paisley and Andrew were all over me. Not being able to help herself Paisley texted Alyssa and Paris. They were both a bit hysterical, but I guess I should of expected it.

Before I had even left my bed there was a message on my machine ordering me to Headmaster Wellington's office. She was an older woman with perfectly pitch black hair and wire rimmed glasses. She was a bit plump compared to most of the Moroi woman because of her particular liking for sweets. Her's was a face I had seen ofter. I was always helping out on committees and charitable events that the school sponsored. Which usually amounted to me showing up and smiling. It wasn't hard work.

Her secretary had left me a detailed message on where and when I was arrive. She sounded chipper enough, but I knew it wasn't going to be a social visit. I was really hoping that the Headmistress planned to meet Mason and I separately. I had a lot of things I still wanted to say to Mason, non of which were going to help our case.

I arrived early gaining a sweet smile from each of the woman working in the office.

"Please come in and sit Mr. Zelkos."

"Thank you Headmistress," I said as politely as I could manage moving across the room to sit in one of her leather high backed chairs. The whole situation had seemed like a joke until now. I knew I wouldn't be in a real trouble. The last thing the school would want to do was contact my mother. No one wanted to deal with her, including me.

"I believe you know why I asked you to come speak with me," she said expectantly.

I nodded forcing a serious expression on my face. It wasn't that I thought that it was a joke, it was more that I didn't care what happened to Mason. They could throw him out of here for all I cared. He deserved it.

"I have been briefed on the events last night in the cafeteria and I must say I am disappointed. You have always been a model of respectability. I understand that did not initiate the physical altercation, however you can't taunt the dhampirs dear they are under a tremendous amount of stress. It isn't any wonder Mr. Belikov snapped."

I listened to her half hearted rant patiently nodding along. I had learned early on how to play this game.

"I understand and I want you to know I would have never made any move toward physical violence Ma'am. It is appalling to me that Mason sunk to that level. Luckily, I wasn't injured. However, my dear friend Paisley Abernathy was almost caught in the crossfire. Can you imagine how horrible things could have turned had she been injured."

The Headmistress sat back in her chair and I heard the old springs creek. "I hadn't heard that?" the way her eyes narrowed at my words and the look on her face told me that she was very displeased this new development. "Do you have witnesses that could verify this?"

"Yes, Ma'am," I nodded "I'm sure that Paisley herself would be happy to corroborate the story, she was just barely pulled to safety."

"While I have you here," she added looking down at an open manila folder, 'I wanted to know how you feel about the classes you have for next semester. I see here you had some difficulties last semester. I'm sure I don't have explain to you how you grades now will effect your future."

I sighed, "I want to do better. I understand that the grades are important, but all I can honestly say is that I'm going to try harder."

She gave me a small smile and I thought she might believe me. I had many of these lectures from teachers over the years. Most of which ending badly. "I think it might be a good idea to be proactive this semester don't you? I can see you are taking some challenging courses," she said lowering her glasses. "These are college entry level classes you understand that right?"

"Yes, I believe they are," I said quietly trying to come up with a way to change the course of our conversation. "Over break I was able to secure myself a tutor."

"Really," she said laying the file down on the desk, "for which classes?"

"All of them," I told her quickly, "it will be online or over the phone, but I really think it's going to help."

"That's impressive Mathew. I hope who ever you find has a firm hand Mathew you need some help with your work ethic. If I thought you weren't smart enough to handle these classes I would take you out of them. You are a smart kid," she punctuated each work making shiver, "and I'm sick of excuses."

"I understand."

"Perhaps we will revisit this conversation in a few weeks?"

Wonderful, I reluctantly nodded. With the Headmaster breathing down my neck I was going to need Paris more than ever.

I watched as she picked up her phone and dialed her secretary and asked for Mason to be brought in.

Mason opened the door assessing the room and walked to stand next to the only other chair in the room.

"Please sit Mr. Belikov. I want you to know that I spoke to both guardians Longly and Howard and they both spoke very highly you. To my surprise, Guardian Howard mentioned that you are well known for your control and discretion. After speaking to Mr. Zelkos I was quite shocked to find out that not only did you put Mathew in danger, but additional students as well. Do you have anything say for yourself?"

"Just that I take complete responsibility for the situation Headmistress," Mason spoke meeting her eyes. "I apologize for letting my emotions overtake my common sense."

"As you boys probably know I have been doing this for a long time and I have seen my share of scuffles. The only thing that could possess you two outstanding examples of our education system to completely fly off the handle would be,"she paused eyeing us each carefully, "a girl."

I did my best not to react, but I could see Mason flinch out of the corner of my eye. Wasn't he supposed to be the stoic one?

"Hmm I thought so," the old woman continued. "I am happy to bring her in here and have a little chat if you'd like to give me her name?"

A steady pounding was making it's self present behind my eyes. Bringing Paris into this would serve no purpose. It might make things harder for her if she changed her mind about coming to the school.

Sensing the same danger for Paris Mason spoke up first, "No that won't be necessary. She doesn't go to school here." Mason's voice seemed small and a bit shaky at the mention of Paris.

"Wonderful," she said slapping her desk with an open palm, "then I am to believe that this will be the end of our decision. Mason I will be calling and speaking to parents, personally. I need to caution you both any further violent behavior will have serious consequences. Mason I do not want to be forced to expel you during you last semester."

We both nodded at her not bothering to glance at the other and when she motioned for us to leave took off out of the office. The heavy door closing behind us. I gave the nosey secretary one of my best smiles and took off out of the building.

Just as I was about to step down the steep granite staircase a voice came up behind me, "You better tell Paisley to stay clear next time."

I turned around shocked at Mason's words, "Don't you dare threaten Paisley. She's innocent in this. What kind of man would hurt a woman?"

"I'm not threatening her," Mason growled, "I don't want her to get hurt."

"You are so sure that there will be a next time," I prodded him kind of interested in his answer.

Mason sneered at me, "You leave Paris alone. Forget she exists and no it won't happen again."

A loud laugh bubbled out of my chest. "That's not going to happen. Paris is part of my life now. Can you imagine what she would think of you if you'd have hurt Paisley."

Mason had the dignity to at least look embarrassed. "I'm warning you keep away from Paris, because next time," Mason sneered, "if I'm going be expelled I'm going make it worth it. Keep Paisley out of the way."


End file.
